Description
This Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is a delightful dessert featuring a rich, cakey top layer with a luscious hot fudge sauce beneath. Ready in just 40 minutes, it combines a moist chocolate cake studded with chocolate chips, topped with a boiling water-soaked cocoa and sugar mixture that creates a fudgy sauce upon baking. Perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream for an indulgent treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar (divided)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (divided)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add-Ins
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Other
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Prepare Pan and Cocoa Mixture: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup of granulated sugar with ¼ cup of the cocoa powder, then set this mixture aside for later use.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.
- Make Batter: Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined to avoid overmixing, as this will keep the cake tender. Then fold in the semisweet chocolate chips carefully—the batter will be thick and stiff.
- Assemble Cake: Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread it out evenly to form the cake layer.
- Add Cocoa Sugar Topping and Boiling Water: Sprinkle the reserved cocoa and sugar mixture evenly over the batter. Then, gently pour the boiling water evenly over the top of the cocoa mixture—do not stir it in, as this will allow the magic of the pudding sauce to form beneath the cake during baking.
- Bake: Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 22 to 24 minutes. The cake is done when the top is cracked, the sauce is bubbling around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the cakey portion comes out mostly clean (it’s okay if it feels slightly fudgy).
- Cool and Serve: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. This allows the pudding sauce to thicken slightly. Serve the cake warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a wonderfully decadent dessert.
Notes
- The boiling water poured over the cocoa sugar mixture creates the hot fudge sauce underneath the cake as it bakes, so do not stir after pouring.
- Use an 8-inch square pan for best results to achieve the proper depth for pudding cake texture.
- For extra richness, serve the cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- If you prefer a less intense chocolate flavor, reduce the cocoa powder slightly.
- This cake is best enjoyed warm the day it’s made, though leftovers can be refrigerated and gently reheated.
