Justin Tsucalas
Jinji Fraser looked to Smith Island when creating this simple recipe for chocolate fudge
If you observe it carefully, chocolate can tell a story. At least that’s what Jinji Fraser, the founder of Baltimore’s Jinji Chocolate, believes. “I always say that making chocolate is so little of what we do,” Fraser says. “It’s the end part of a very long process between traveling and sourcing and communicating — there’s all these things along the way that serve the story of chocolate making.”
Fraser’s Smith Island fudge recipe also tells a story — not just about cacao, but also her hometown of Baltimore. “A lot of us who grew up in Maryland go on little field trips as kids to Smith Island,” says Fraser, who worked in nutrition before finding her calling in chocolate. “It’s a working-class fishing town that’s generational — there are still people who work the waterways today.” To commemorate their stories, Fraser developed her own fudge version of the famed Smith Island cake, which is also known as the 100-layer cake. It’s the state of Maryland’s official dessert, and although Fraser can’t necessarily capture the cake’s many layers in her fudge, she tries to deliver on the nostalgic flavor. “There’s a nice hazelnut quality to a Smith Island cake and that’s the flavor profile we really try to nail,” she says.
If you’ve never tried to make fudge at home, Fraser says that her recipe could not be simpler, especially because there is no heating, baking, or stirring required. “It’s just made by blending everything in a blender,” she explains. “Don’t have any expectations about what it’s supposed to be or look like. It’s a very forgiving recipe and you’re meant to have fun with it.”
No-Bake Smith Island Icebox Fudge Recipe
Makes one 8 x 8 pan of fudge
Ingredients:
¾ cup (110 grams) whole, raw hazelnuts
1½ cups (200 grams) cacao butter wafers
1¼ cups (120 grams) cacao powder
½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1 cup (325 grams) raw blue agave syrup
Liquid dark chocolate syrup (optional)
Instructions:
Step 1: Gently melt the cacao butter in a small pan over low heat just until it’s liquid.
Step 2: Measure the first four ingredients into a high speed blender; blend on high until fully uniform. With the blender running, slowly add in the raw blue agave syrup. Continue blending until the consistency is thick, and all ingredients are completely incorporated.
Step 3: Taste for salt, then pour the fudge into a 8-by-8-inch silicone mold or parchment-lined pan
Step 4: Freeze for 45 minutes. Pull the fudge from the mold, drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired, and enjoy! The fudge can be cut into 16 pieces and stored in either the fridge or the freezer; frozen, it will last six months.
Justin Tsucalas is an award-winning photographer and owner of Plaid Photo, a Baltimore, Maryland-based studio.
Creative director and set designer Giulietta Pinna specializes in visual content creation for commercial and editorial food, interior, lifestyle, product and still life projects.
Recipe tested by Ivy Manning
