This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Worried about amount if water I should heat in the PAN?
How much water should I put in the pan ?
Hi Mo – You can just use 1 1/4 cups of very hot tap water. But if you prefer to heat it in a pan, I’d suggest the same amount and as soon as it starts to steam that will be hot enough. Hope that helps!
Has anyone adapted or tried this in a slow cooker? I know there are slow cooker recipes out there this one just sounds the best!
Hi Lindsey – We haven’t but hopefully someone will read your comment and respond! (I’m not sure you’ll get the same baked cake on top consistency in the slow cooker…)
Can this be doubled for a 9 x 13 pan?
Hi Ann – Yes – the baking time will need to be adjusted however and you may not see the same proportions of cake and sauce underneath.
Love it!!! Thank you for the amazing recipe
You are very welcome Bianca!
One of my husband’s favorites!
Mine too Brenda! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I am like a small child when it comes to this stuff – after reading this I really want to go to the Hersheys park. Thanks for the recipe, looks amazing and will be using it this long weekend!
We hope you love the recipe William! (And we hope you get to Hershey Park one of these days…)
Hi, can I use cadburys milk chocolate instead as Hersheys due to it being hard to come by in England. Plus I cant use dark chocolate due to migraines. This dessert looks to amazing to miss out on. Thank you for sharing with us.
Hi Julia – I think any brand of unsweetened cocoa powder will work for this recipe. (I’m not sure if your Cadbury is powdered or a candy bar like it is here in the U.S.?) We hope you can find the cocoa powder!
This was perfect! I used a good Dutch chocolate since it is main ingredient.
I have been looking for a recipe like this since restaurant charge $8.
My grandson and I made it so it was easy. Must have Good Vanilla bean ice cream to top off.
I totally agree Catherine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I have been baking this cake for 20+ years. It so easy to make and delicious.
Thanks Phyllis!
Can you use regular cocoa powder? We live in France and so no Hershey’s
Many thanks
Yes – any unsweetened cocoa powder will work! Enjoy!