This easy chocolate pudding cake recipe is a rich chocolate cake that’s made with pantry staples and is ready from start to finish in less than an hour. It also happens to be low fat!
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I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I used to have a food blog a while back before I had kids. This easy chocolate pudding cake was the most popular recipe on my old blog, and it also happens to be low in fat!
My mom found this easy chocolate pudding cake recipe in a magazine more than 20 years ago and we’ve been making it ever since. I still have the original page of the magazine, the advertisement next to the recipe is for a brand new product called mini M&M’s, that’s how old it is! The reason we’ve been making this recipe for so long is because it’s unique, super easy to make and the ingredients are so basic that I always have them in the house.
This recipe starts off with a basic cocoa-based cake batter. The magic happens when a mixture of cocoa powder and brown sugar is sprinkled over the top and then boiling water is poured over the whole thing. It looks like a terrible mess going into the oven but what comes out is a chocolate lover’s delight.
A rich moist cake forms the top layer and a chocolate pudding sauce forms on the bottom. It’s great served warm or cold and it only has three tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe so it’s not going to break your calorie budget for the day. The cake batter also happens to be egg-free, which means you can let your helpers lick the spoon!
This easy chocolate pudding cake is great for a quick and casual dessert or you can dress it up by serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and some fresh berries. Either way, I hope it becomes a tradition in your family like it has in mine.
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Easy Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cups boiling water
- cooking spray
- berries whipped cream and mint for garnish if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch square baking dish or round souffle dish. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/3 cup cocoa in medium bowl. Add milk, butter and vanilla, stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish.
- Combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour boiling water over entire mixture; do not stir.
- Bake 35 to 38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top layer comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes. Serve in bowls with garnishes if desired.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead: The cake can be made a day in advance and served chilled or at room temperature.
Little Helpers: The kids can help make the cake batter and sprinkle the brown sugar/cocoa mixture over the top.
Things You’ll Need (or Want!)
Can it really be this easy? This looks terrific!! Love the picture of your helper, this cake is obviously good stuff! 😀
Too cute! This is a recipe I definitely need to venture, soon.
omg this looks divine! I’m literally drooling! Is there a way to make this for single serving?
I bet this cake is super moist! I have a sweet tooth so I’m sure I’d love this. Thanks for the recipe!
So delicious! What a great new way to enjoy pudding(: The pictures are absolutely beautiful as well-you’re a great photographer(:
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This looks delicious, Sarah! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! Perfect for winter nights, I will be making thi sone for sure!
I would totally be in chocolate heaven with this! Looks so scrumptious! Pinned.
This sounds fantastic! My boys would love to help make it!
Yum! That looks so good!
Wow! I love pudding cakes, they are the ultimate sweet comfort food!
Chocolate pudding cakes are maybe my favourite dessert of all time. So chocolatey and wonderful. So I don’t let myself make them often! This one looks fantastic!
Chocolate. Who can say no to that! ? This looks so incredibly yummy.
I love everything about this cake. Chocolate and your photos are beautiful! My husbands birthday is next week. i am totally making this
This sounds amazing!! Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Anything chocolate is right up my alley! I love how easy this is!
Looks so delicious! I love chocolate pudding! Makes me want some right now! 🙂
Delicious….
Wow! That seriously looks increidble! I can see why it was a favorite! That oozing chocolate is dreamy!
This is really awesome! It looks sooo good, and the cake recipe has obviously held up over the years!
This sounds so much like a chocolate pudding cake recipe I tried once! It is so magical how it transforms from powder to pudding. Love your post.
It’s been YEARS since I’ve had chocolate pudding cake and I want some right. now. I think I might seriously make this for myself once my kids go to bed tonight and binge eat it with my husband. I have some homemade ice cream in the freezer that I’ll eat with it 🙂
Looks sooo good! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!! Pinned!! xx
Ohhhhh my goodness. It looks decadent. I’m adding this to the “girls lunch in” list. They’re going to love it.
Oh my, your pictures and this post have me craving chocolate pudding cake! All that oozing chocolate is heavenly. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
this looks INSANELY good and even better now that you said it is low fat. How do you make the PRINT box for your recipes?
Thanks Maria! I use the Easy Recipe plugin for WordPress.
Don’t you just love pudding cake? It’s like the best dessert ever!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE! I’M ABOUT TO MAKE IT RIGHT NOW!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO INDULGE =)
IT CAME OUT AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! LOOKS JUST LIKE THE PICTURE TOO! THANK YOU FOR SHARING, ILL BE MAKING ANOTHER ONE TODAY!
Thanks so much for reporting back, I’m so happy you liked it!
This looks so good! Love that it’s low fat. My childs favorite part of me cooking is licking the spoon. lol
You should come link this up on my link party today!
This looks so good! I want to make this for an upcoming Christmas potluck – is it possible to make in advance and then heat it up? Or would that make it less gooey?
Hi Cato, I have never tried to reheat it before but I think it would work if you did it at a low oven temperature. It stays gooey even when cold though, so you could serve it cold or at room temperature and it would still be great.