Who doesn’t love a homemade, chocolatey, hot fudge pudding cake?
This super yummy, super gooey chocolate pudding cake is an easy, one-dish dessert recipe that can go from the oven to the table in no time flat! Make it from scratch in under an hour, and serve warm with ice cream!
Why We Love Pudding Cake
Chocolate pudding cake is so easy and uses pantry ingredients that you probably have on hand.
Pudding cake is made in just one pan, which means fewer dishes!
Moist and gooey with a deep chocolatey flavor, pudding cake is an easy and decadent dessert!
Ingredients & Variations
While the base will always be the same, there are plenty of ways to customize chocolate pudding cake!
DRY Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder are all used in this Pudding Cake!
WET Milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla are all added to the dry ingredients.
TOPPING Brown sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and water are all mixed together to create the hot fudge topping!
VARIATIONS Toss in a handful of toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, or sliced almonds! Add maraschino cherries on top, or add a swirl of peanut butter through the batter before baking!
How to Make Pudding Cake
Super quick and easy, this cake turns out perfect every time!
- Combine the first four ingredients in a casserole dish. Use a whisk to blend everything thoroughly.
- Add liquid ingredients (per recipe below). Stir until well mixed.
- Sprinkle on the topping and DO NOT STIR. Pour very hot/boiling water over top and bake.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and some sprinkles or chopped nuts!
Tips for the Best Pudding Cake
- Do not stir or mix the topping once sprinkled over top.
- The water poured over top of the dessert should be very very hot. I use hot tap water (or hot water from my coffee machine).
- Allow this dessert to rest at least 10-15 minutes after baking so the pudding layer has a chance to set up a bit.
- Keep pudding cake in a sealed container at room temperature!
Decadent Desserts
- Homemade Pizookie – cookie shaped like pizza!
- Gooey Caramel Brownies – moist and delicious
- Better Than Sex Cake – only 5 ingredients
- Coconut Caramel Poke Cake – with rich caramel sauce
- Cookie Dough Brownies – a sinfully sweet treat
- Black Forest Chocolate Trifle – easy to make
- Nutter Butter Mug Cakes – made in the microwave
Did you love this Chocolate Pudding Cake? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cups very hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a 2 qt casserole dish, combine flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
- Add milk and oil, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Sprinkle over cake batter. DO NOT STIR. Pour hot water over top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top looks cooked. Serve warm (with ice cream if desired).
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Going to try this today
I’ve made this a few times and it’s soon amazing!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How much water?
You will add 1 ¼ cups hot water.
I made this for first time tonight, it was clean out… Some say it was so good… Some say that is so rich to their taste.
So glad everyone enjoyed it Mary!
My mother made this same dessert in the 40’s and 50’s. We all loved it. My brothers called it “Chocolate Messy”.
The only difference was that we didn’t use chocolate chips in the topping –Just 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. My mother called “Brownie Pudding Cake”.
We make it in an 8″ square pan/
I love that this cake is easy to prep the night before so that you can make it hot for entertaining with minimal effort the day of you event. It is so good, and egg free so i can actually eat it!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome Terri!
How many does this serve? Serving size?
This serves 6.
sound good will try it sometime sound slike those sauce pudding wehad before
Unfortunately I was one of the one who did not like this AT ALL even though I made as directed. Too bitter. :(
Hi Holly, I have been looking for my old recipe for Chocolate Mayo Cake, would you happen to have it??? I’ve lost my old recipe, and really need to make one for my hubby today!
Thanks so much.
I haven’t had a mayo cake in years, they’re so good! Sorry, I don’t have a recipe for mayo cake. I hope you find one!
Hi Bevie, was reading the comments for this delish cake and read a few of you can’t find the mayo cake recipe. Just checked my Hellman’s jar and there it was! Enjoy!
Just brown water on top. This is not working out and it has been in an hour now. Also please say boiling water instead of hot water if your water is near boiling. Frustrated cook.
I used very hot tap water. I’m not sure why this didn’t work out for you. Did you sprinkle the brown sugar on top without mixing it in?
Check expiration date on baking powder.
Hi holly.. silly question but my oven only goes up to 220 degrees. How long would you suggest I bake for?
I have only cooked it as in the recipe so I can’t say for sure how it would work at 220 degrees. You will want to ensure the cake portion on the top is cooked all of the way through.
I think you’re saying you have 220 degrees CELSIUS…. And the recipe is calling for 350 degrees FAHRENHEIT.
180C is equals to 350F (or google for the rest of the conversion)… So I am pretty sure you can do this with your oven :)
Should I boil the water or can it just be hot tap water from the sink? This looks really good, and I can’t wait to try it!
I usually use hot water from our water cooler so it’s very hot or close to boiling. In my experience, the hotter the water, the thicker the pudding.
I just made this for my “chocoholic” father and it was a smashing success!
So glad he enjoyed it Leslie!
Did anyone else try this? I did not care for it at all and my 6 year old son who eats everything didn’t like it either…
We thought it was gross!! Weird texture and it was not sweet enough.
How many people does this serve?
This serves 6-8 people.
this is my hubbies childhood favorite but it doesn’t say whether you put a lid on the baking dish that you are using this could make a big difference in the outcome. please answer as I have one in the oven right now and I took the chance of putting a lid on my casserole dish, due to the water factor I do not want it to evaporate, think this is correct. thanks..
I bake this uncovered.
How did it work out for those who doubled. Need for 12 to 16 people this looks great
can i use cake wheat flour instead of all purpose flour…can you tell me 2/3 cup milk…is it half cup?
I have only made this as written so I’m not sure how the flour substitution would work out. ⅔ cup of milk is not half cup.
use a 1/3 cup measuring cup 2 times… or there are 16 tablespoons in a cup so 2/3 of that would be 10 Tablespoons and about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons… I really hope this helps you . I dont think a 1/2 a teaspoon is going to make that much difference …
I make a similar pudding cake, but the topping to mine is brown sugar and hot coffee (decaf or regular) and chocolate chips are added to the batter :)
I’ll try this topping next time :)