The viral cacao fudge is warm brownies under a thick, glossy puddle of melted cacao. The sauce has one ingredient: Alma Cacao, melted in the oven in about 2 minutes.
Viral cacao fudge recipe
What you need
- A pan of brownies, homemade or from a box mix, baked and still warm
- Alma Cacao pieces, enough to fill an oven-safe bowl almost to the top (more cacao, thicker puddle)
- An oven-safe bowl and oven mitts
- Optional: a drizzle of maple syrup or a pinch of flaky salt
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Fill the bowl. Pour Alma Cacao pieces into an oven-safe bowl, almost to the top.
- Melt it in the oven. About 2 minutes, until the pieces melt into a smooth, glossy sauce. Use oven mitts: the bowl gets hot. If a few pieces are still solid, stir and give it another minute.
- Pour it over the brownies while both are warm, so it pools into every corner.
- Scoop and serve. Spoon it into bowls straight away for a saucy, puddle-style dessert, or let it cool and set into a fudgy top.
Good to know: Alma Cacao is unsweetened, so the sauce is dark and rich against a sweet brownie. If you like it sweeter, drizzle a little maple syrup over the top after you pour.
Why the sauce is just cacao
Whole cacao paste keeps its cacao butter, so it melts into a rich, glossy sauce on its own, with nothing to add. We use our own ceremonial cacao, Alma Cacao: 100% whole cacao paste in small pieces, with nothing added.
It is single-origin, from native communities of the Peruvian Amazon: traditionally fermented, sun-dried, stone ground and made in small batches. It is tested for heavy metals by an ISO 17025 accredited lab and made in a GMP certified facility. The co-op we source from gives 2% back to the producer communities, and we donate another 2% of every sale to For the Love of Mateo.
New to it? Start with what ceremonial cacao is.
Common questions
Can you melt cacao in the oven?
Yes. Small pieces of cacao paste melt fast: put them in an oven-safe bowl at 350°F for about 2 minutes, then stir. If any pieces are still solid, give them another minute.
Does the cacao sauce set?
Yes. Cacao paste is solid at room temperature, so the sauce firms up as it cools into a fudgy layer. Eat it warm for a saucy dessert, or let it set first.
Can I use store-bought brownies?
Yes. Any brownies work, homemade or from a box. Warm them first so the cacao pools instead of setting the moment it touches them.
