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Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is a delicious, vintage recipe that everyone absolutely loves! A fudge sauce forms under a rich chocolate cake as it bakes in the oven.
If you follow us over on Instagram, then you probably know that we just came home from a family vacation at Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania! This was our second year visiting the park, and we decided that on this trip we would sign up for the Create Your Own Candy Bar at Hershey’s Chocolate World, located just outside the amusement park.
Each of us had the chance to make a custom chocolate bar – choosing the type of chocolate we wanted as the base, additional ingredients to include such as chocolate or butterscotch ships, pretzel bits and more; we designed our own label for our candy bars; and we got to watch it being made right before our eyes! Here are a few photos from our fun production tour:
So all of that wonderful chocolate had us craving a sweet treat when we got home – and we decided to make this fantastic Hot Fudge Pudding Cake from the Hershey’s Kitchen website.
This Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is outrageously good – and it couldn’t be any easier to make! A simple batter (made from Hershey’s cocoa of course) is first spooned into the bottom of a lightly greased pan or baking dish. Then a dry cocoa mixture is sprinkled on top of the batter. Finally – right before baking – hot water gets poured over the top of the dry cocoa mixture. But don’t stir it in – that process creates this fantastic, almost-crunchy topping on this Hot Fudge Pudding Cake as it bakes!
Then – once the Hot Fudge Pudding Cake comes out of the oven, just use a spoon to serve. You’ll end up with a super moist cake with a warm and fudgy pudding center – plus a sweet crunchy topping! Served with some vanilla ice cream – this is one amazingly good dessert that any chocolate lover will enjoy!
Disclaimer: I was not compensated by Hershey’s for this post. We are simply sharing our vacation story with you today as well as the inspiration behind our recipe.
Additional note: We’ve received a few reader comments below complaining that the cake was very runny and not fudgy. We’ve retested the recipe ourselves and can confirm that it is written correctly. But feel free to bake the cake for a few minutes longer if necessary (ovens may vary), and also make sure that you allow the cake to sit for 15 minutes before serving to give the sauce time to set up.
You may enjoy these other Chocolate Dessert recipes:
- Mexican Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
- Double Chocolate Pudding
- No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Pie
- Chocolate Ranger Cookies
- Homemade Magic Shell
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Recipe adapted from Hershey’s Kitchens
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Hershey’s Cocoa powder, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups hot water
- Vanilla ice cream, if desired for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a pot of water on the stove to very hot (just under a simmer).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, flour, ¼ cup of the cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into an lightly greased 2-quart ceramic dish (as shown in our photos) or a 9-inch square baking pan (if it’s a non-stick pan, you don’t have to grease it) and spread evenly.
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, remaining ¼ cup cocoa and mix well. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter in your dish or pan. Pour the hot water over the top – but do not stir!
- Bake 35-40 minutes if using a glass dish (or 30-35 minutes if using a metal pan) – or until the center is almost set. Remove your dish from the oven and allow it to stand for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, spoon the cake into individual serving bowls – making sure to spoon the fudgy sauce from the bottom of the pan over the top of the cake. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired and serve immediately.
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Holy cow. This is my love language. Wish I had a giant bowl right now!
Thanks Courtney!
I love pudding cakes, and yours looks so decadent! I would love a bowl, yum!
Thanks Angie!
My mom took my brothers and I to Hershey when we were kids! I loved it there! This cake looks so divine!
Thanks Ashley!
Visiting Hershey is on my bucket list. Since I live on the West Coast, it’s a little more planning. This dish is out of my childhood. and what a family favorite it was. Kind of a pre-molten cake. I had forgotten about it. I am going to have to make it again.
That is exactly it Carol! Sort of a cross between a molten-lava cake and pudding…it’s been a family favorite of ours for a long time! Hope you get to Hershey one day – it’s a lot of fun!
Oh my goodness. This is like a dream come true! 🙂
Thanks Stephanie!
So easy and delicious.
Thanks Nicole!
It’s been years but I used to go to Hershey all the time!
Hope you get back there soon! It’s completely different with so much more to do!
All of that fudge, holy crap.
Thanks Claire! 🙂
This is EXACTLY how I want my cake situation. Preferably within the next 30 seconds. Maybe if I wish real, real hard…
Wouldn’t that be great if we could reach into our computer monitor or phone and grab any of the wonderful blog food we see? Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂
Oh my, this hot fudge pudding cake looks absolutely Willie Wonkie devine. Or should I say Hersey? I love Hersey Park, haven’t been there since I was a kid. Love reading about your experience, I should take mine! A lot cheaper than Disney too. And much closer to where I live.
Thanks Laura! Hershey is much more than I remember growing up…there’s a water park, tons of roller coaster, etc. I’m sure your family will love going there! Thanks for visiting us today!
Replacing the water with brewed coffee makes this choc pudding cake even more decadent.
What a great idea Tammy! Thank you for your suggestion – I will definitely try that the next time we make this cake!
This looks like the perfect answer to a sweet tooth craving! We did Hershey Park quite a few years back, great family trip.
Thanks Christine!
Could you do anything a head of time?
Hi Mariah – Other than measuring out the dry ingredients ahead of time, probably not. But – it’s very quick to mix up!
Just wondering for the hot fudge pudding cake. The recipe says to heat a pot of water. How much water ?
Hi Barbara – You will need 1 1/4 cups of hot water. Thanks for your question!
I am wondering what happens if you add too much water! 🙁 I am about to find out.
Hi Abby – As long as you follow the directions, it should turn out! We’ve made this numerous times following our recipe so I can confirm that it is correct!
So I was scrolling through pinterest while eating dinner, and realized that I wouldn’t have to go out and get anything to make this… So I made it as soon as I was done eating. It’s like a messy, gooey pile of I’ve died and Gone to Heaven. It’s amazing!
LOL – Thanks so much Liz! (I totally agree!) So glad you enjoyed the recipe as much as we did!