Fudgey Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

This Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake is the ultimate comfort dessert, combining the best of both worlds: soft chocolate cake and ooey gooey fudge pudding. Easy to whip up with pantry staples, it’s a vintage recipe that’s a crowd and family favorite recipe!

Chocolate pudding cake is a dessert straight from my childhood. I remember being so excited when my mom decided to whip one up, and I loved making it for my boys when they were kids, too. We lived and worked for 24 years at a year round camp and conference center, and I remember one of our cooks modified this recipe to feed 100s of guests – and they loved it, too!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

This recipe only uses basic pantry ingredients. – No fancy items need to be picked up at the store for this old fashioned recipe. It’s just the basics, and you probably already have them all!

It’s quick to mix up and get in the oven. -This dessert recipe mixes up quick and easy and can get in the oven fast if you need a speedy dessert.

It’s yummy hot or cold – Since this cake has a silky pudding baked right in it, it is delicious hot or cold – with or without any toppings!

Ingredients for Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake

(A printable recipe card is included at the bottom of this post for your convenience.)

For the cake:

• 1 Tablespoon butter (at room temperature is best)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup boiling water

Step by Step Instructions for Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8×8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until the butter is broken up into small bits and mixed well into the sugar. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to get the bits of butter that might want to stick!
3. Sift together the dry ingredients. Place the mixer on medium speed and add some of the dry ingredients and then some milk. Mix well between each addition and continue adding the ingredients in intervals until the batter is all mixed together. It will be very thick! Spread the batter into the prepared 8×8 inch pan.

3. Place the mixer on medium speed and add some of the dry ingredients and then some milk. Mix well between each addition and continue adding the ingredients in intervals until the batter is all mixed together. It will be very thick! Spread the batter into the prepared 8×8 inch pan.
4. Mix together the dry ingredients for the topping, using the back of a large spoon to press out any brown sugar or cocoa lumps there might be. Once mixed together well, pour the topping on top of the chocolate cake batter in the pan. Then pour over the boiling water.

5. Carefully place the pan into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan before serving.

Best Pan for Chocolate Fudge Cake

Disclosure: The following are affilate links for your shopping convenience.

As I mentioned in the video above, I highly recommend a glass baking dish with handles for this recipe. It makes it so much easier to put it in the oven without boiling water splashing out and possibly burning your hands.

You can check out all my kitchen tool recommendations and more on my Amazon Storefront for USA or my Amazon Storefront for Canada.

One of my readers mentioned that another idea if you don’t have a pan with handles is to put your baking dish inside a cookie sheet with sides and transfer it all to the oven that way.

How to serve Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

This dessert recipe is so versatile and delicious so many different ways. It’s delicious with no toppings at all, but if you want to add some extra to it, you could serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream. And if you want to go all out with extravegance, you could even drizzle some hot fudge sauce over the top of vanilla ice cream!

Can you Freeze Chocolate Pudding Cake?

You certainly can! Just place it in a tightly sealed freezer container and freeze for up to 6 months. It’s easiest to thaw it overnight in the fridge before you use it. I would heat it up slightly in the microwave before serving for a “fresh out of the oven” experience.

Other Cake Recipes You Will Enjoy

• Pumpkin bread with cake mix is another quick and easy comforting dessert recipe.
• Lemon cake mix and blueberry pie filling makes the best blueberry dump cake!
• Poppy seed bread with cake mix is a recipe my Grandma used to make and we went wild for it!
• If you like coffee cake, you’ll love this old fashioned rhubarb cake.

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