Hot fudge chocolate pudding cake is gooey, fudgy, messy, chocolatey, and super yummy! This super easy and fast-to-make pudding cake bakes into magical two layers, warm moist chocolate cake on top and rich chocolate fudge sauce at the bottom!
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Why does this recipe work
- It’s so easy and quick to make dessert.
- You’ll only need basic pantry staples for the recipe.
- Anybody can make a chocolate pudding cake! If you can whisk, you can make this dessert.
- A sweet treat that is hard to resist! It’s addictive.
- This cake is messy, fudgy, gooey, and extremely delicious! If you love fudgy desserts, you must try zucchini brownies and 3 ingredient brownies.
- No need for frosting, it has its own rich chocolate hot sauce at the bottom that covers the cake when you scoop it out with a spoon.
Ingredients
- Flour – use plain flour and for gluten-free variation use gluten free flour.
- Cocoa Powder – best use unsweetened cocoa powder. If you use dark cocoa powder, your pudding cake will transform into rich, slightly bitter and sweet tasting treat. The cake will turn slightly dark (more towards black, BUT NOT BURNT). I love that.
- If you use light cocoa powder you’ll still get rich chocolate pudding cake, it won’t have any bitterness in it. The chocolate flavor will be mild.
- Use cocoa powder according to your taste preference.
- Choco Chips – optional but highly recommended. Using miniature choco chips works best in the recipe. I added 3 tablespoon mini chocolate to the cake mix plus ¼ cup in the fudge sauce. It resulted in rich, chocolatey delicious pudding cake. Feel free to skip adding choco chips to cake mix. And in case you are using light cocoa powder if you want to enhance the chocolate flavor of the cake adding choco chips will help.
- Sugar(Fudge Sauce) – usually light brown sugar is what is used for making the fudge sauce. I prefer using a mix of white granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Choice is yours!
Ingredients Additions & Substitutions
- Pudding cake is best enjoyed when it’s warm. It’s sinfully delicious with vanilla ice cream! Don’t forget the ice cream!
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder can be added to cake mix. Cinnamon powder will enhance chocolate flavor.
- Butter – instead of vegetable oil, use melted butter for rich-tasting cake.
Toppings Ideas:
You can add any topping of your choice. Here are few suggestions
- Whipped Cream
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Crushed Nuts – pecans, walnuts, almonds
- Chocolate Chips
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Fresh Berries
- Sprinkles
How To Make Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake?
Pre heat oven at 350° F.
Use a 9 inch square baking tray or use 2 quart casserole/baking dish. Your baking dish should be atleast 2 inches high. I used a 2 quart oval casserole dish that was 2 inches high on the sides. Grease baking dish with cooking oil. Keep aside.
Sieve plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Time to add granulated white sugar and mix well.
Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and granulated white sugar
Pour in whole milk, vanilla, vegetable oil (or canola oil). Using whisk mix batter until wet and dry ingredients comes together.
Optional step (highly recommend you don’t skip) – add mini chocolate chips to the cake mix, stir it together.
Transfer cake batter to prepared dish and keep aside.
For fudge sauce topping – in a small bowl combine cocoa powder, white sugar + light brown sugar (note here you can use just light brown sugar instead of mix), chocolate chips.
Sprinkle the topping (it will be powder like) evenly on top of cake batter mix.
DO NOT STIR!
Do not stir the dry topping into the batter.
Ensure water is very very hot. Carefully and slowly pour water on top of the fudge sauce topping.
Jo’s Tip: pour (very very)hot water using back of the large spoon so it spreads evenly without disturbing the topping and cake batter mix.
DO NOT STIR!
Let the water sit on top of the sprinkled topping.
Carefully transfer baking dish into pre heated oven and bake at 350° F for 30 -35 minutes or until the center is almost set.
Do not over bake chocolate pudding cake. You won’t get the two layered dessert – cake and hot fudge sauce.
The top should be cooked and the pudding sauce should be bubbling gently around the cake.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Allowing the cake to rest will help pudding layer a chance to set up a bit.
Serve hot fudge chocolate pudding cake warm with any toppings of your choice. Vanilla ice cream is our favorite topping.
Tips To Make Best Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake
1. DO NOT STIR once very hot water is poured over the topping. Allow hot water to sit on the topping. This will transform into two layers when it bakes through, fudgy cake on the top and rich chocolatey hot fudge sauce at the bottom.
2. Make sure water is very very hot before pouring in on topping.
3. Use back of the spoon to pour hot water over the topping. This will help spread water evenly without disturbing the topping layer and cake batter layer at the bottom.
4. Use mini chocolate chips for richer chocolate flavors in the cake.
5. Allow chocolate pudding cake to rest at least for 10 -15 minutes once it’s baked to ensure the pudding layer has a chance to set a bit.
6. Dark cocoa powder will result in richer, darker, slightly bitter chocolate pudding cake (almost black, but not burnt). Using light cocoa powder will result in milder chocolate flavored cake. Pick cocoa powder as per YOUR taste preference.
7. It’s best to serve the cake immediately after baking. Left over cake can be stored in refrigerator just for a day. I do not recommend storing this chocolate pudding cake longer. As the cake sits, it’ll absorb the pudding sauce.
8. Do not forget the topping. Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or other toppings of your choice.
LOVE CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE? TRY THESE OTHER DECADENT DESSERTS:
Decadent But Healthy Zucchini Brownies
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Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…” cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoon mini choco chips optional
Fudge Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 to 1 ¼ very very hot water
Instructions
- Pre heat oven at 350° F.
- Use a 9 inch square baking tray or use 2 quart casserole/baking dish. Your baking dish should be atleast 2 inches high. I used a 2 quart oval casserole dish that was 2 inches high on the sides. Grease baking dish with cooking oil. Keep aside.
- Sieve plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add granulated white sugar, mix well.
- Pour in whole milk, vanilla, vegetable oil (or canola oil). Using whisk mix batter until wet and dry ingredients comes together.
- Optional step (highly recommend you don’t skip) – add mini chocolate chips to the cake mix, stir it together.
- Transfer cake batter to prepared dish and keep aside.
- For fudge sauce topping – in a small bowl combine cocoa powder, white sugar + light brown sugar (note here you can use just light brown sugar instead of mix), chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle the topping (it will be powder like) evenly on top of cake batter mix. DO NOT STIR!
- Do not stir the dry topping into the batter.
- Ensure water is very very hot. Carefully and slowly pour water on top of the fudge sauce topping. Jo’s Tip: pour very very hot water using back of the large spoon so it spreads evenly without disturbing the topping and cake batter mix.
- DO NOT STIR! Do not mix or stir the water into the batter. Let the water sit on top of the sprinkled topping.
- Carefully transfer baking dish into pre heated oven and bake at 350° F for 30 -35 minutes or until the center is almost set.
- Do not over bake. Else you won’t get the two layered dessert – cake and hot fudge sauce.
- The top should be cooked and the pudding sauce should be bubbling gently around the cake.
- Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Allowing the cake to rest will help pudding layer a chance to set up a bit.
- Serve hot fudge chocolate pudding cake warm with any toppings of your choice. Vanilla ice cream is our favorite topping.
Notes
- DO NOT STIR after you pour hot water. Allow hot water to sit on the topping.
- Make sure water is very very hot before pouring in on topping.
- Use back of the spoon to pour hot water over the topping. This will help spread water evenly without disturbing the topping layer and cake batter layer at the bottom.
- Use mini chocolate chips for richer chocolate flavors in the cake.
- Allow chocolate pudding cake to rest at least for 10 -15 minutes once it’s baked to ensure the pudding layer has a chance to set a bit.
- Dark cocoa powder will result in richer, darker, slightly bitter pudding cake (almost black, but not burnt). Using light cocoa powder will result in milder chocolate flavored cake. Pick cocoa powder as per YOUR taste preference.
- It’s best to serve the cake immediately after baking. Left over cake can be stored in refrigerator just for a day. But as the cake sits it’s absorb the fudge sauce.
Comments & Reviews
Angela says
Delicious
Jyothi Rajesh says
SO glad to hear you loved the recipe, thank you for sharing your feedback Angela!