This is not the demure individually-portioned dessert served in restaurants with white tablecloths. No, ma'am. According to my mother, my grandma would make this for the kids when a special treat was merited. This messy, sticky, cocoa-rich affair is more like a self-saucing brownie than anything else. And like all such things, it's best served warm and with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
In the copy of Favorite Recipes from First United Methodist Church of Stillwater, Minnesota that has been passed down to me, the recipe for "Chocolate Cake Pudding" by Shirley Nelson is circled in bold blue ink. As is the next recipe for "Chocolate Goo" from Judy Powell. And the one for "Fudge Pudding Cake" from Doris LaVayea. The recipes are very similar, differing only slightly in ingredients and in the use of either COLD! or BOILING! water.
In a quick phone consultation with my mother, she laughed and admitted that she had no idea which of these venerable church ladies' recipes my grandma followed, though she's absolutely sure it used cold water. My mother also remembers sometimes adding a handful of toasted nuts or fresh berries to the batter. They get trapped below the cake layer, becoming hidden treasures for the lucky dessert recipient.
In pulling together my own version of this vintage recipe, I simply channeled Grandma Dola. What would Grandma do? Add more cocoa powder, surely. And Grandma would definitely support the pat of butter with the milk. And cold water, if for no other reason than it's quicker than boiling it.
Even channelling Grandma, this recipe still takes a leap of faith. The cake batter is spread into the pan and a layer of mixed sugars and cocoa powder goes on top. Over everything, you pour one cup of water. No more stirring. No more mixing. Into the oven it goes. The cake rises to the top while a thick pudding forms below.
The resulting warm, fudgy, gooey dessert is just perfect. So perfect that it's difficult to stop oneself from "cleaning up the edges" until one has consumed a whole second square of cake. These things happen.
Quick and easy to pull together, this cake is definitely going into my regular line-up. Thanks, Grandma. I owe you one.

Warm Fudgy Pudding Cake
Serves 6 to 8For the cake:
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (6 ounces) white sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk, whole or 2%
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the pudding:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) white sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (8 ounces) cold water
Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional
Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray an 8"x"8 baking pan.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt through a fine-meshed strainer into a mixing bowl. Combine the milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a spatula just until no more dry flour is visible. Scrape this batter into the pan and smooth the top.
For the pudding layer, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Pour over the cake batter and shake the pan to evenly distribute the sugars.
Pour the cold water over the sugars. Do not stir. Put the pan immediately into the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. As it bakes, the cake will rise to the top while the pudding forms beneath. The cake is finished baking when the edges of the cake turn dark brown and crispy, and when the top of the cake is shiny and dry to the touch.
Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Scoop slices of cake and the pudding beneath into individual bowls and top with ice cream. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to a week and can be reheated for 20 seconds in the microwave.
Notes:
• For an extra-special treat, try adding a cup of toasted nuts, diced fresh fruit or berries, chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips to the batter.

Related: Retro Recipe: Big Pink Rhubarb Cake
(Image: Emma Christensen)
Gray Scallop Organi...

Comments (33)
This is a family recipe for me as well. I think we called it "Chocolate Fudge Pudding Cake". I love the gooey pudding that it makes. We used to pour milk over the top of ours. Probably because we didn't often have ice cream in the freezer. One of my favourite desserts!
Yes, Chocolate Pudding Cake for me too! One of the first recipes I ever made, from the children's Betty Crocker cookbook, I think.
Talk about comfort food, my favorite too!!
I've made this for years too, but use 1 cup of strongly brewed coffee in place of the water.
Highly recommend!
I used to make this constantly as a teenager. When you want chocolate, the ingredients were always in our pantry. Our recipe came from one of my mother's vintage cookbooks -- American Woman's Cookbook or something similar as I recall. If I remember correctly, it may have called for brewed or instant coffee in that recipe as well.
Oh, I LOVE the idea of using coffee instead of water!
Great recipe! I just finished baking this and it came out spectacular! :D it was the first time I ever baked such a thing and it was a hit with my roommate and I. Thanks so much. :)
Never heard of this in my life but will try it this weekend! @farmerken - coffee instead of water is BRILLIANT : )
Like many of you, I have made this ridiculously rich & delicious but amazingly easy dessert for at least 25 years. As I recall, I've always called it Hot Fudge Pudding Cake. Everyone for whom I have made it raves about it, asks for the recipe, and then questions how it could possibly turn out the way it does. So I learned to add several cautionary notes, ending with: trust me, it really does work! My recipe uses hot water, but I do like the idea of using hot coffee instead. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool off enough to serve-- that hot pudding sauce will burn your tongue for sure! I serve mine in vintage glass footed dessert dishes & top it off with whipped cream. I don't think I'd add a single ingredient -- certainly not peanut butter chips! That would be pure heresy for an old-fashioned recipe like this!
It sounds delicious, but I was disappointed when I realized I had misread it as "Warm FIGGY Pudding Cake!"
I made a Kahlua version for my sister's birthday. She ate it straight out of the pan.
I have this recipe, and mine is called "Crazy Cake" -- for its technique I suppose, and that it's Crazy good!
In the south we call this chocolate cobbler.. YUM!
This recipe has been in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks for over 60 years. I used to make it when I lived alone because it's relatively quick, and if you eat the whole pan you don't feel too bad the next day. There is a complementary recipe next to it in my cookbooks, Lemon Pudding Cake. That one involves separating eggs and beating the whites but it's still an easy dessert.
Can I make the pudding in advance and cling film it until I am ready to bake??
This was always a "rite of fall" in our house. Football started and mom would make "Hot Fudge Sundae Cake". Her recipe uses boiling water, but we always replace it with hot coffee.
As for making it in advance, I probably would not recommend that. It is a cake, and chemically leavened with the baking powder. I wouldn't trust it rising properly after letting it sit over night. If you wanted to attempt it, I would make it ahead and pour the water in just before baking.
@Reks - Ditto what KitchenShaman said. Also, this recipe comes together SO fast that it's not really much trouble to just mix-and-bake. I also find that it reheats pretty well -- maybe not QUITE as good as just out of the oven, but pretty darn good all the same! So you could make it one day and serve it then next if you wanted.
I'm not a baker but I feel a chocolate coma coming on!
I respectfully disagree with the no pre preparation. However, I would make the two mixtures separately, keeping the pudding mixture dry, and then finish it just before you bake it. It seems important to the recipe that the two mixture do not combine until just before baking so they will remain "cake" and "pudding". Since it uses baking powder, most of the leavening will not be activated until it hits the heat of the oven.
just put this in the oven!
Here in New Zealand, this is called 'self-saucing chocolate pudding' - but no matter what its called, its a winner!! I usually double the sauce ingredients (but use less sugar, and boiling water which dissolves the sugar and cocoa) and i've been making this for decades!
I came across Dr. Oetker's boxed version of this at the grocery store a few months ago. I made it and it was terrible. I have much, much greater hope for a scratch recipe created by grandmothers. I'll give it a whirl.
A family recipe for me too! It's from my mother's 1940s version of Fannie Farmer, and is called Denver Chocolate Pudding Cake ... not sure why, maybe it does well at high altitudes? Anyway, always good, in the mountains or by the sea. My husband says this was the cake that made him realize he must marry me.
Can I use soy milk or almond milk for the dairy milk? thanks!
@Pattykay - I haven't tried it myself, but I feel like soy or almond milk should work just fine here.
Oh Emma, you know this is right up my alley. Yum!!
When I first saw this recipe, especially the layering thing, I thought "woaaah this is so weird! I have to try it!" I'm not used to american baking and was very suprised to read that it was a vintage recipe that grandmothers used to make. So I tried it. And even though I completely messed things up, it was absolutely fabulous!
This is how I messed it up: I made only half the portion given (cause there's just 2 of us in the house) and I couldn't decide which baking tin I should use, so I chose the smallest. I was completely wrong of course, but didn't realize it until I tried to pour water on top of the 2 other layers! I managed to pour the water in a glass, tried to take out the dried sugars, transferred the dough to another tin, and relayered everything. It was a bit messy and things got mixed up a bit in the process, but it turned out great.
I found it difficult to wait all 15 minutes to taste it, and I LOVED the chewy-gooey texture!! This is definitely a keeper, as you say :) I will make it again this week, this time layering it properly!! Thanks for sharing.
Made this yesterday and was really disappointed. Crazy sweet with a boring flavor, even with Vahlrona cocoa powder and coffee in lieu of the water. My chocolate cake eating kids didn't like it and my husband ate one bite and walked away.
I agree with judiau. The sauce was sweetly bland, with no hint of chocolate whatsoever. I felt like I was slurping down thickened sugar water (which is basically what it is, I guess.) It's pretty unbearable—I think I'm going to have to toss the rest.
I know this recipe by its Denver name but never tried it until now. Like judiau's husband, my chocoholic daughter took one bite and walked away. Much too sweet, and I've got a well developed sweet tooth. I used good quality cocoa but it was overpowered by all that sugar. You never know until you try it, and now I know not to make this again.
Made this recipe over the weekend and it is absolutely yummy and ridiculous. Will definitely make this for a crowd at some point.
I have a friend who would call this a single-serving recipe and fight to prove it!
The pudding is so good that it is really hard to stop eating it.
"Hot Fudge Sundae Cake" is what our family called this cake too. And we always used boiling water. I love the idea of using coffee instead. Thanks Kitchen Shaman, I'm going to try that the next time I make this.
Self-Saucing Pudding it is... I usually chuck a handful of chocolate chips into my batter too... gives a nicer *extra* chocolatey surprise as you're eating!