Chocolate Pudding Cake

There’s a puzzle in this pudding that you’ll probably want to take several attempts to solve with a spoon. The conundrum is that this chocolate pudding cake appears to turn itself upside down in the oven. Never mind the physics, though. If you close your eyes, above all it’s an indulgent, sticky, unctuous dessert you’ll keep coming back to.

For such a quirky cake, it’s surprisingly easy to bake, but the end result feels and looks so decadent. That doesn’t mean you can’t go even richer with your choice of cream, ice cream or sauce. Be extravagant. This chocolate pudding cake recipe is for the bold.

Ingredients for Chocolate Pudding Cake

Sauce:

• Brown sugar: Packed brown sugar is essential for giving the sauce its stickiness and balancing the bitterness of the cocoa.
• Baking cocoa: This gives the intense chocolate flavor, but unlike cocoa powder, it’s bitter and unsweetened. The flavor can vary between different types and brands, so keep testing until you’ve found the one that suits your palate.
• Boiling water: Cocoa powder won’t dissolve easily, but persist with boiling water until you have a slurry at first, then a smoother sauce once the sugar dissolves.

Cake:

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour as the base of the batter, since this isn’t a cake that has to rise high.
• Sugar: Regular white sugar will be sufficient to temper the bitterness of the cocoa and bring out the butter and vanilla aromas, but for convenience, you could stick with the same brown sugar used in the sauce.
• Baking cocoa: As with the sauce, baking cocoa will give the batter that deep chocolateness. You could opt for unsweetened cooking chocolate, but using the same powder as the sauce is the simpler step.
• Baking powder: This will give the all-purpose flour just enough volume during baking without losing that dense texture you want from a brownie-style treat.
• Salt: Skip this at your peril. Salt is one of the most underrated ingredients for a sweet cake, and it combines so seamlessly with chocolate.
• Egg: Beat a large egg to bind the batter. The fats in the egg also help emulsify cocoa powder, which can be hard to dissolve otherwise.
• Milk: Using whole milk will also make it easier to dissolve the cocoa powder and helps give the chocolate pudding cake its (spoiler alert) lava-like consistency at the bottom.
• Butter: Melt the butter to bring the flavors together in the batter and thicken the flour and cocoa solids. Use unsalted butter by default unless you’re looking for that salted caramel experience.
• Vanilla extract: Just a dash will add aroma and depth to the cocoa. The two combine so naturally, and it’s even better if you can source fresh vanilla pods.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: Semisweet cooking chips will melt during baking to release pleasant pockets of warm chocolate into each bite.
• Whipped cream or ice cream (optional): Top the finished chocolate pudding cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for a delightful hot-cold combo.

Directions

Step 1: Make the chocolate sauce

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Preheat your oven to 350°F. Boil the water in a pan, lower it to a simmer, then add the brown sugar and shake in the baking cocoa powder. Stir with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the cocoa lumps have disappeared. Set the mixture aside but keep it warm.

Step 2: Mix the cake batter

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In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla, then add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring gently until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 3: Bake the pudding cake

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Pour the mixture into a greased 1-1/2-quart baking dish, spreading the batter evenly around the dish with a spatula. Then pour the warm chocolate sauce over the top, but do not stir. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The surface of the cake should be firm, but poking a knife through will reveal a pool of sauce at the bottom. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Editor’s Tip: Pour the warm chocolate sauce over the back of a spoon onto the batter so that it doesn’t settle unevenly but spreads out to the edges instead.

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Chocolate Pudding Cake Variations

• Make it a mocha: Coffee and chocolate make such a great combination that you can add espresso powder for baking to round out the mocha flavor. A dram of whiskey or brandy would give an extra twist, making it a coffee liqueur pudding cake.
• Turn it even sweeter: For a sugary rather than slightly bitter finish, add evaporated milk to the batter, or even heavy cream. These will give you a thicker, richer and sweeter taste and texture.
• Skip the sauce: You’ll get a similar (but not 100% the same) sauce on the bottom if you just add hot water on top rather than making a chocolate sauce. In this case, you’ll sprinkle the cocoa powder and brown sugar mix evenly on top of the batter, then pour on the water.

How to Store Chocolate Pudding Cake

Let your cake cool, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you’re saving it for later, hold off the ice cream or whipped cream topping until you’re ready to reheat and serve again.

Can you freeze chocolate pudding cake?

If you have enough self-control, you can certainly freeze chocolate pudding cake for later, but expect most of the sauce to be soaked into the cake. Again, let it cool, store in an airtight container and freeze for no longer than two months. Allow it to thaw gently before reheating in a warm oven.

Chocolate Pudding Cake Tips

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How do I stop my pudding cake from sticking?

The cake will pull away from the dish as it rises, and the surface will crack. That’s as long as you’ve thoroughly greased the dish with unsalted butter before pouring in the batter. It’s especially important because this isn’t a cake you can turn upside down if it won’t budge.

Why isn’t there much sauce underneath the cake?

Add too little water, start with an oven that’s too hot or bake for just a little too long, and your pudding cake consistency might be closer to a brownie. One neat trick for keeping your base moist is to follow Ina Garten’s tip and place your baking tray inside a water bath. This gives a lava-like center.

What is the best way to serve chocolate pudding cake?

This really is a dessert that benefits from being devoured straight from the oven, or at least warm after it’s rested. That’s when the sauce is still thick but not too cool to set, and the texture of the brownie is soft and spongy.