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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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If I bake this ahead of time to take to a friend’s house later the same day, is it still good if reheated? If so, how long and at what temperature should I reheat it?
Hi Gayle – You can, although sometimes the cake absorbs more of the fudge sauce as it reheats so just be careful not to over heat it the second time around. We microwave ours to reheat, but you could also reheat in a warm oven (250 degrees or so – timing will vary based on whether or not the cake is still chilled, or fully back to room temp).
I used coffee instead of water and a more quality cocoa. Absolutely delicious!
Great idea Roz!
Can this recipe be doubled? I need to double it for a large family dinner.
Hi Carol – We’ve only made this as written, baked in a 9×9 pan. I’m sure you can double it in a larger pan, but it may impact the baking time and/or how much pudding sauce you see in the bottom under the cake. If it were me, I’d use two pans and follow the recipe as written. Hope that helps!
Can’t wait to try it!
Hope you love it!
Was thinking of using coffee for the hot water. Your thoughts.
Hi Debra – You definitely could – please let us know how it comes out!
This was truly amazing and we were so full we couldn’t finish it! What is the best way to store it?
Hi Cay – Just cover it and refrigerate. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a warm oven to heat through.
This was so moist and yummm Tanxxx for the recipe <3 the whole family enjoyed it very much 🙂
Thanks Farzi – Glad you all enjoyed the recipe!
I made this tonight, easy and delicious. Thank you.
You’re welcome Linda – glad you enjoyed the cake!
Looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try it. Have you reheated after it’s baked?
Hi Michelle – Yes – it reheats nicely in the microwave or oven. Some of the fudge sauce may get absorbed into the cake, but it will still be delicious reheated.
This cake was so good! I’m always skeptical of a recipe where people praise or have a hard time picking one in fear of not being good. But here I go.. This one… This cake right here…. AMAZING. I subbed some vegetable oil for coconut oil, used brown sugar instead bc I only use brown sugar, and accidentally used reduced fat milk but still turned out perfect!! Might’ve over baked it a little because it wasn’t quite fudgey but the frosting made up for it. The frosting is a dessert itself omg. So good. I didn’t sift the powdered sugar which I should’ve, bc it does get clumpy but I just put it back on the stove for a few minutes and turned out great! Cake was amazing and just what I needed, not too sweet, fudgey, moist, soft etc. made it at 10pm lol. This is my go to recipe from now on!!! Thank you!
Thanks Autumn!