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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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Just a thought………why not start substituting alternative sugar, such as Swerve, in your recipes. It has 0 calories and is diabetes friendly. For people like me we would be so grateful.
Hi Trisha – While Jack is definitely watching his carbs and sugar intake, we aren’t necessarily known to be a diabetic-focused food blog. While you can certainly adapts our recipes, you might like to check out my friend Carolyn’s blog, All Day I Dream About Food https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/ – she has lots of low carb recipes including desserts made with Swerve.
I did just as directed and it was just liquid. I let it sit for more than 15 minutes. There is evidently something wrong with the recipe. If you find the error, PLEASE let me know. I was so disappointed because it was for a friends birthday.
I’m sorry you were disappointed Jane. This is the exact vintage recipe from Hershey’s and we’ve never had any issues, but a few other readers have. I wish I could know why the recipe works for most readers, but doesn’t for a few of you.
This was a family favorite when I grew up. Never knew where the recipe came from.
I made this Hot Fudge Pudding Cake today and it was easy and yet delicious. I couldn’t believe that there was this wonderful fudge sauce at the bottom. We served it to our friends and she asked for the recipe.
Thanks Sarah!
Can you make the cake but wait about an hour before adding the hot water to bake?
Hi Teresa – The batter has baking powder in it which – depending on the type you use – could start activating immediately, and waiting an hour might result in a flat cake. If you use double acting, or slow acting baking powder, you should be OK as both of those kinds need the heat from the oven to activate the leavening ingredients. If you use a fast-acting baking powder, I would only mix the batter immediately before baking. Hope that helps!
Make this today for Fathers Day and my family devoured it. Love love love this recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us.
You’re very welcome Pat – so glad you all enjoyed it!
Looks wonderful! Can it be made in advance and reheated please ?
Hi Vanessa – It’s best freshly baked but you could reheat it in the microwave. I’d suggest slightly under baking so when you reheat, the sauce doesn’t over absorb in the cake too much.
I made this last night and the family gave it a “10”!!! Next time I think I’ll cut the water back to 1 cup just to have a thicker sauce. I will be making this again and I’ve shared the recipe with family and friends 👍🏻
Thanks Dawn – so glad the recipe was a hit!
Martha, do you think if I double the ingredients this could be made in a 9×13 pan for a bigger crowd? Or should I just make two 9×9’s to be safe? Can’t wait to try it. Thanks Linda
Hi Linda – In the past, I’ve always suggested the two 9×9’s…but we recently had another reader comment that she made a double recipe in a 9×13″ and it turned out great, with lots of fudge sauce. I haven’t tried it myself, but it sounds like the 9×13 will work. Hope that helps!
Turned out great! All 4 family members agreed that we needed more—so, definitely will make again. Just follow the instructions; part of why it is so good is how easy it is to make and how great the results were!
Thanks so much Candy!