Fudgy chocolate pudding cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! Gooey chocolate cake is paired with a rich chocolate sauce that layers chocolate upon chocolate for the ultimate decadent, yet super simple, dessert. So good!
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Pin RecipeAn ooey, gooey chocolate cake with a built-in sauce? Sign me up! If you’ve never made chocolate pudding cake before you’re in for a treat. This simple yet decadent variation of chocolate cake yields a delicious, moist pudding-like consistency when you dig into it, thanks to the use of buttermilk. Then, a luscious chocolate sauce takes it to the next level. You will love this recipe!
Chocolate Pudding Cake
Despite its name, there’s actually no chocolate pudding to be found in this decadent chocolate cake. The texture, however, is a different story. This cake has a very pudding-like quality to it, which gives it the name of a pudding cake. The texture is soft and creamy, very similar to chocolate pudding, and is topped with a silky chocolate sauce to add extra flavor and lock in moisture.
So what is a chocolate pudding cake, exactly? I’m glad you asked! It’s a unique dessert that features a layer of chocolate cake topped with a thick glaze of chocolate sauce. A cross between a classic cake and a dump cake, it’s made by combining the cake batter and topping it with a dry mixture of cocoa powder, brown sugar, and chocolate chips. Then, hot water is poured on top just before baking.
While the cake is in the oven, the water sinks to the bottom of the pan and magically creates a chocolate sauce while the cake part rises to the top. The result is an unbelievably soft center reminiscent of pudding that your fork practically sinks into. And, it only takes 10 minutes to throw this cake together! Serve it with whipped cream or ice cream for a special finish.
(Love chocolate cake as much as I do? Try my Homemade Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Pound Cake, and Chocolate Poke Cake recipes, too!)
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Ingredients for Chocolate Pudding Cake
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Nonstick cooking spray
- All-purpose flour – Flour forms the base of this pudding cake.
- Granulated sugar – To sweeten the cake.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Cocoa powder – Use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Instant coffee powder – You can omit this if you can’t find it at your local grocery store.
- Baking powder – To help the cake rise.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk adds moisture to the cake.
- Vegetable oil – You can also use canola or olive oil.
- Vanilla extract
Topping
- Brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Cocoa powder – Use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Mini chocolate chips – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Hot water
How to Make Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Preheat the oven, and prepare a baking pan: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Coat the inside of an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, and set it aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and whisk to combine: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee, and baking powder. Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla, and mix again just until combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- Make the topping: In a separate bowl, toss together all the topping ingredients except the hot water. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the cake batter. Pour the hot water gently over the top without mixing it into the batter mixture.
- Bake the cake: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center looks cooked but still slightly jiggly. Serve warm, garnishing with whipped cream, if desired.
Quick Tip
Make sure you don’t mix the topping into the cake batter – it might seem strange to put a dry mix on top of a wet batter, but I promise that this is correct!
How to Store Chocolate Pudding Cake
Store leftover chocolate pudding cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe! The taste and texture will be affected, and the cake is likely to become hard once thawed.
Serving Suggestions
Chocolate pudding cake – or self-saucing cake – doesn’t really need anything else to adorn it as it contains a built-in sauce! However, I do love to serve it with a few extras like whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, especially when the cake is still warm.
FAQs
Adding pudding to a box of cake mix will make the cake turn out more moist and rich.
The Betty Crocker SuperMoist cake mixes contain pudding in the mix.
To elevate a box of chocolate pudding mix, add whole milk or cream, chocolate chips, or flaked coconut for extra texture and flavor.
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Chocolate Pudding Cake
Equipment
- 1 8×8 baking dish
- 2 Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cups hot (not boiling) water
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350℉. Coat the inside of an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.Nonstick cooking spray
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee and baking powder. Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix again until just combined. Pour into the baking dish.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ⅔ cup buttermilk, 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, toss together all the topping ingredients except the hot water, then sprinkle over the top of the cake batter. Pour the hot water gently over the top, without mixing into the batter mixture.½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ⅓ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, 1 ¼ cups hot (not boiling) water
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake starts to pull away from the side of the pan and the center looks cooked but still slightly jiggly. Serve while still warm, garnishing with whipped cream.
Can you use milk instead of buttermilk?
We don’t recommend it! The absence of acid will not create the same result.