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This Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake is made with a layer of moist chocolate cake and a layer of fudge which sinks to the bottom as the cake rises, creating a delicious molten lava pudding. The cake is very simple to make and takes only 45 minutes including the baking time! Similar to a molten lava cake, it is always a crowd pleaser, especially during the colder months.
The chocolate cake recipe is inspired by my delectable, and very popular, Easy Chocolate Cake. That cake is incredible on its own, but the hot fudge pudding just takes it to the next level.
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- INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
- HOW TO MAKE HOT FUDGE CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- RELATED RECIPES
- HOT FUDGE CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
This Hot Fudgy Chocolate Pudding Cake is made using simple ingredients you should already have in your pantry (all quantities are given in the recipe card at the bottom of this post):
Chocolate Cake:
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar - can be substituted with caster sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Large eggs
- Vegetable oil - or use any other neutral tasting oil
- Buttermilk - if you don't have buttermilk, you can easily make it yourself with milk and vinegar or lemon juice
- Boiling water - this helps bloom the cocoa powder
- Cocoa powder - I recommend Dutch processed, but you can also use natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Instant coffee
Hot Fudge Pudding:
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Cocoa powder - Dutch processed or natural
- Boiling water
HOW TO MAKE HOT FUDGE CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE
Let's go over the simple method to make this cake - it should not take you longer than 15 minutes of work! First, check out this video in which you can see the method in action:
1. Prepare the cake batter
Before getting started, pre-heat your oven to 350F (conventional) and brush a 7x11" baking dish (I used ceramic) with a little butter.
In a clean bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except the cocoa powder, making sure to sift the flour. Use a whisk to mix them together.
To the dry ingredients, add the eggs, oil and buttermilk, and gently whisk until combined. If you see any lumps forming, use the whisk to break them down, but avoid overmixing the batter.
In a separate bowl, pour boiling water over the cocoa powder and instant coffee, and whisk until you see a shiny, smooth chocolatey mixture. This step will 'bloom' the cocoa powder, bringing out its lovely chocolate aroma and flavor.
Pour the bloomed cocoa mix into the rest of the batter, and gently fold until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
2. Add the Hot Fudge Pudding ingredients
This part is so simple, and feels like it should be wrong but it isn't! First, mix together the two types of sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl, making sure to break down any lumps.
Then, sprinkle over the mixture on top of the cake batter inside the baking pan, trying your best to spread it out evenly.
Then, carefully pour over the boiling water in the same baking pan. Be careful not to splash the water - you can use the back of a spoon to help pour more slowly and evenly, and try to get the water spread evenly too.
3. Bake the cake
Bake the cake for ~30 minutes. In the oven, a few magical things will happen:
- The hot water will dissolve the sugars and cocoa, and cook down to form a fudgy sauce
- The cake will bake and rise
- The fudgy sauce will sink to the bottom
You want to stop baking the cake when it feels firm to touch on the top, but a toothpick inserted should have fudge on it! With this cake, I find it is better to lean towards underbaking than overbaking, as we want it to be like molten lava.
4. Serve!
That's it! Now it is time to enjoy your hard work. Serve the cake while it is still hot. Just like molten lava cake, this cake is great with some vanilla ice cream on top.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I don't have a 7x11" baking dish, what other pan can I use?
A 7x11" baking dish has 77 square inches of area. Any other pan with a similar area will work, e.g., 9x9". You can also do a larger dish (e.g., 9x13) but the cake will not be as tall and you will need to reduce the baking time.
Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe?
Yes, you can reduce the sugar if you don't like your dessert to be too sweet. I would suggest reducing the sugar in the cake batter itself to 1 cup (instead of 1 ¼), and you can reduce the sugar in the fudge sauce by 2-4 tablespoons.
What is a substitute for buttermilk?
You do not need a substitute for buttermilk - simply combine milk with vinegar or lemon juice to make it instantly.
How to store hot fudge chocolate pudding cake?
You can store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, and warm up in the microwave before eating.
If you like this recipe, also check out my other indulgent chocolate desserts:
- The BEST Chocolate Malt Cake Recipe
- Easy Chocolate Cake From Scratch (Under 1 Hour!)
- Easy Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Easy Chocolate Tiramisu
HOT FUDGE CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE RECIPE
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 16 reviews
- Author: Zoha
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 8-10 servings
Description
A rich and indulgent chocolate cake with a layer of hot fudge pudding sauce underneath made in just 45 minutes!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour (195g)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (275g) - can be reduced to 1 cup if you don't want the cake to be too sweet
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tspbaking soda
- ¾ tspsalt
- 2eggs
- ½ cupvegetable oil (100g)
- ½ cup buttermilk (120g) - use ½ cup milk + ½ tablespoon vinegar to make your own
- ¼ cup boiling water (60g)
- ⅓ cupcocoa powder (33g)
- 1 tsp instant coffee
Hot Fudge Pudding:
- ½ cup white granulated sugar (110g)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (100g)
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups boiling water (360g)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 7x11 or 9x9" baking dish with some butter (I recommend ceramic so you can serve the cake in the same dish)
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl, getting rid of any lumps
- Add the eggs, oil and buttermilk, and use a hand whisk to combine the ingredients
- In a separate bowl, pour the boiling water on top of the cocoa powder and instant coffee, and whisk until smooth and shiny
- Add the cocoa powder mixture to the remaining cake batter and gently fold until combined
- Pour the batter in the prepared baking dish
- For the fudge sauce, mix the sugars and cocoa powder and get rid of any lumps. Sprinkle over the cake batter inside the baking dish
- Gently pour over the boiling water on top of the cake batter, being careful and spreading it evenly
- Place the cake in the oven and bake for ~30-35 min depending on the size of your pan. You want the cake to look firm and cooked on the top, but it should be fudgy and gooey on the bottom - it is better to underbake than overbake it
- Serve the cake while still hot with some vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
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