Chocolate Pudding Cake
On a cold day, nothing beats a warm chocolate pudding cake for dessert. This is our "go to" dessert during snowboarding trips. It's easy to make and doesn't require a mixer, which may not be available in a rental house kitchen. After a long, chilly day outside, this old-fashioned dessert really hits the spot!
I saw this recipe on a Martha Stewart show many, many moons ago. Please don't ask me why I was watching it. I'm not a fan of Martha, and I never intentionally watch her show, but the pudding cake caught my eye while channel surfing. Well, anyone can get my attention if these words are spoken... warm, chocolate, pudding, cake.
The recipe used to be on her website, but I can't find it now. Fortunately, I copied it to take along on our boarding trips. We modified the original recipe by reducing the amount of brown sugar in the batter and adding 3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chunks.
The chocolate pudding cake is spectacular. It's a cross between a spongy cake and a gooey pudding with a crispy, chewy top layer. This simple dessert has a rich, intense chocolate flavor, especially if the bite has a melted chocolate chunk in it. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, and you'll be in heaven!
All of the SNDsters wish you a... Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Belated Hanukkah or Happy Festivus for the rest of us!
Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small chunks
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Stir batter until just combined. Spread batter evenly into an 8 cup shallow baking dish. Set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup cocoa powder, brown sugar, and boiling water. Pour liquid evenly over batter, do not mix. Distribute chocolate chunks into batter. Bake until a tooth pick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with crumbs adhering to it, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
My mouth is watering—amazing photo!
I want some! Your photo is wonderful.
I’m glad you both like the photo. In this case, the picture really does capture the deliciousness of the pudding cake.
Simply delightful!! This looks so moist and gooey and just YUM!
Hi! I’ve never been to your site before but found your pic on Tastespotting, surfed over, and made this dessert for my family’s Xmas dessert with 1/2 hour notice – it was that easy and YUMMY. I didn’t have block chocolate so I used boring old Toll House chips. Served it with creme chantilly, and man oh man, what a hit! Thanks!
That’s great! I’m really happy that the pudding cake was a big hit with your family!
I was literally drooling when I saw this post..
I’m so hungry now….
Arghhh!
i used this recipe for a holiday party and it was a hit. everyone loved it. not suprising with a picture like that. thank you for the great recipe just in time. i referenced your blog to friends. happy new year!
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Over the years I’ve made a few different versions of this recipe. In some cases it has winded up tasting “too junk-foody” says my wife. Then I made the Cooks Illustrated version and it was, somehow, too high-brow.
Kind of like the three little bears, this version is just right. Thanks for helping me hit the sweet spot, literally and figuratively.
I made this pudding cake with my three grandchildren. First thing to go wrong was when the 10 year old was charged with putting the 2 t of vanilla in. It came out too fast and I lost about a third of my precious vanilla from Mexico. After scooping out as much as possible, we finished the preparations, but in the confusion I forgot to actually beat the eggs and sugar together (the girls had just stirred) and completely forgot to put in the melted butter, which had been cooling. So this was poured on top about half way through the baking time. There were definitely too many cooks. As it looked so runny, we only poured about half of the water mixture on top. I was absolutely sure it was a hopeless disaster, but the kids were very sure it would be great, and they were right! Amazingly it set beautifully and tasted wonderful. The kids ate a big slab of it each, with whipped cream on top. This is a very forgiving cake believe me, and seemingly impossible to ruin, although we tried!
I’m about to make this, cannot wait to indulge! Wondering what pan size to use, couldn’t find that in recipe. No matter, I’ll try 9×9″.
found the pan size – sorry!
This looks absolutely delicious!
What a pleasure to find this recipe once again. My mother made this for me and my three siblings in the 1950’s. We lived on the cold Oregon coast and this was a lasting childhood memory of warm gooey comfort food. I had lost my copy of the recipe, this one has added chocolate chunks which are great I’m sure. Nice to see a new generation will experience this delightful, and surprising recipe. Thanks, it is an oldy but….a goody! A real crowd pleaser.
I am hoping to make this dinner for a new boyfriend. He is considering a trip to Peru and he has a chocolate jones, so I am trying the Peruvian Chicken and the Chocolate Pudding Cake. Wish me luck!
Just made this for supper tonight for company….It was a real hit! Had no chunks of chocolate so used chocolate chips instead. It was terrific.
Can this be frosted? I can’t see the picture which may answer this but I was wondering if I can make this as a birthday cake. Thanks.
I just did this (only half a recipe, as I am home alone and did not want to risk having that much of it) and it is amazing, thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!