Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake

Have you ever been so excited about making or baking something that you just couldn’t let it wait til morning?

So here it is 11pm on a work night, I should be turning in and calling it a day already. But then I see chubby little Anne Thornton on TV licking the spoon after making something called ‘Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake’, and me without having had a chocolate thing all day. And it was so simple. And I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen. It was a trap I tell you, a trap.

Now I ask you: Have you ever made something you were so looking forward to, and then, just at the point of consumption, ended the whole experience in acute disappointment?

Then you can feel my pain.

Here’s the problem, the cake just wasn’t what I expected.

I was presuming I would end up with something undercooked brownie-like on the bottom, and a crunchy on-its-way to brulee type topping. Yea no, that’s not what happened. I suppose I should have paid more attention to the name of the dessert, particularly the ‘pudding’ part. Because that’s really what it was, and I’m really not into warm pudding when I’m expecting brownie batter. Sooo… sadly most of this ended up going to waste. I wasn’t about to pack on the calories for something I didn’t like all that much just because I was craving chocolate. It was really a sad night. Lots of tossing and turning and nightmares of chocolate pudding world domination. But I digress…

I’ve provided the recipe for this pudding cake and pictures of the process. If it sounds like your kinda dessert, then by all means go for it and let me know what you think!

Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake

Recipe from Anne Thornton

Ingredients

Pudding Cake:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• Mint chocolate chip ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the cake: Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the milk, butter and vanilla. Stir together until smooth with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan. Use an offset spatula to level into pan. For the topping: Whisk together the sugars and cocoa and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.

Pour the hot water over the top, resist the temptation to stir it into the batter.

Bake about 30 minutes, you want the center to bubble and look almost set, almost like an undercooked brownie.

Take out of the oven and let stand 15 minutes. Serve in dessert dishes, spooning sauce from bottom of pan over top. Serve with mint chocolate chip ice cream, if desired.