Try my vintage Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake that is a delicious, rich, dessert with an unforgettable fudge sauce that appears when it is baked. Save the Hot Fudge Pudding Cake recipe now so you can always find it.
Versions of this recipe for Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake have been around for generations. And I am a firm believer that sometimes things endure because they are good and worth it. Not all things, clearly. But this hot fudge pudding cake is one of those things that is both good and worth it. It does not take a lot of time to make and creates a moist, warm chocolate cake with an almost magical, rich and velvety fudge sauce.
I was craving chocolate this week and I just so happened to have everything I needed to make this decadent dessert while enjoying another snow day with the kids. The flavors of the hot fudge pudding cake will remind you of a molten chocolate cake and it goes perfectly with a little vanilla bean ice cream. It will certainly satisfy any chocolate cravings.
Two mixing bowls and a baking pan
I wrote this Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake recipe a little oddly. I broke the ingredients down by the bowls you use versus just giving you a list of ingredients. I did this because the ingredients are duplicated throughout the recipe and in other recipes I studied to create this, I was a touch confused about the measurements. Hopefully this makes it easier for you. The first bowl you need is a large mixing bowl. This will be for the base of the cake recipe. The second bowl you need will be for the part of the recipe that ends up creating the fudge sauce. Then the last thing you need is a2 1/2 quart baking pan or 9×9 metal pan. I prefer a ceramic pan over a metal pan.
In the first bowl
In the first bowl you are going to create the base for the hot fudge pudding cake. This creates the actual cake in the finished product. It is a combination of flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. This all gets whisked or sifted together. Then milk, vanilla extract and melted butter are added to the mix. You can use a hand mixer on this or just whisk it and use a spatula. I almost always go for the whisk and spatula.
The batter for this comes out very, very thick. It will be thicker than a cake mix or a brownie mix. You might have noticed there is no egg in the Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake recipe and that only adds to the density of the cake itself in the finished dish.
Spreading it in the baking dish
Once the batter is well combined, grease your baking dish and then place the batter in the pan. It won’t really pour due to the thickness so you will probably have to spoon it in. Once it is all in, I use my spatula to spread it over the bottom of the baking dish. This helps the cake to cook more evenly and will also make it look better in the end.
In the second bowl
In the second bowl, more cocoa powder, more granulated sugar and then brown sugar are whisked together until they are well combined. This will help to create the hot fudge sauce. This gets poured over the cake batter in the ceramic pan. Again, I like to make sure this is more evenly spread.
The hot water
The hot water is what really activates the hot fudge pudding cake and brings out the chocolate flavors. Not only does it help to hydrate the batter but it is the final step in ensuring you create that hot fudge sauce. You can bring this to a boil over the stove, microwave it or be like me and just let your hot water run until there is steam coming off of it. The hot water is poured over everything in the ceramic dish. Once you pour it in, do not mix anything. If I have anything up over the hot water line (like I do in my photo), I try to push or brush the ingredients down a bit more. Other than that, this goes straight in to the oven once the hot water is poured onto it.
The final results
I have to say, I really do feel like the Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake is a bit like magic. When it comes out of the oven you will have a nice crust on the top of the cake that may be slightly cracked. Around the edges and within any of those cracks you will see the hot fudge sauce bubbling up from the sides. Because this recipe will not completely solidify, you will not be able to toothpick test it. You really have to just keep an eye on the top and trust the time in the recipe in order to make sure it is done. I bake my cake for the full 40 minutes.
Tips for success with the Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Make sure to use a good quality, unsweetened 100% cocoa powder for the hot fudge pudding cake. I like the Ghirardelli brand and use that whenever I am creating an chocolate dessert.
- You can use a ceramic or metal pan for the pudding cake recipe, but I prefer ceramic. It needs to be 2 1/2 quarts and about 3 inches deep. This is the pan I use {HERE}. Your cook times will change based on the pan material so make sure to pay attention to that in the recipe below.
- Make sure the water going into the cake is hot. It needs to be steaming hot in order to make everything work correctly.
- Let the cake cool for 5 minutes and then serve. Some people say they like to let there’s sit longer but at 5 minutes the chocolate fudge sauce will be warm and melty. If it sits too long you will have to warm it up again in the microwave to get that same effect.
Saving and reheating
You can save the Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake by lightly covering it and placing it in the refrigerator. Our’s is gone after two days (really after 24 hours) so I can’t speak to how this holds up after that. However, if it is going to be longer than two days, I would place the cake in an airtight container instead and the place it in the refrigerator. To re-heat it, the microwave is the best option. It should only need 15-30 seconds per scooped plate.
Looking for more easy dessert recipes?
If you love a good chocolate dessert or just an easy dessert like my hot fudge pudding cake, try these too.
- One Bowl Chocolate Cake {HERE}
- Easy Apple Strudel {HERE}
- Blueberry Cake Cobbler {HERE}
- No Bake Key Lime Ice Box Cake {HERE}
- Mini No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake {HERE}
- Homemade Chocolate Brownies {HERE}
- No Bake Chocolate Lasagna Cake {HERE}
- Raspberry Cheesecake Blondies {HERE}
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Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends! I hope you love my version of the Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake recipe. You can find the full, recipe below. I hope you will come visit us again. Happy eating.
Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake
Equipment
- 2 1/2 quart ceramic baking dish that is at least 3 inches deep
Ingredients
Ingredients for the first mixing bowl for the Chocolate Pudding Cake
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp of whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients for the second bowl
- 1/4 cup 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
For the ceramic dish
- Cooking spray or butter to grease the pan
- 1 1/4 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder and salt until it is well combined. Then add in the whole milk, vanilla extract and melted butter. Whisk that together with a hand mixer or a whisk and spatula.
- Grease the ceramic dish and then pour the batter into a greased, ceramic baking dish. Use a spatula to spread it out and cover the bottom of the dish. It will be very thick and not at all like a normal cake batter.
- In a second, smaller bowl whisk together 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Whisk this together. Pour this evenly over the batter in the baking dish.
- Now pour the 1 1/4 cups of water over everything in the baking dish. If you have anything above the water, you can smooth it out gently with a spoon but do not mix it together. Ideally you just want all the ingredients under the water.
- Then immediately place the pan in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the top looks set and slightly cracked. Mine took about 40 minutes. You might see bubbling along the sides and the cracks of the cake. That is fine. If you are using a metal pan the baking time will be 30-35 minutes.
- When the Chocolate Pudding Cake is done, remove it from the oven and let is stand for 5 minutes. I like to serve this hot without it having too much time to cool. Spoon it out into each bowl and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
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