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.
I don’t have a stand mixer. Can I just use my hand mixer?
Sure Barb
If I only have a 8×8 brownie pan, will this recipe still work or is there something I can adjust to make it work? Thank you!
Hi Holly – It should work. Since the 8×8 is smaller than the 9×9, the cake will be thicker and may take a little longer to bake.
I give a 5 star on the recipe. Maybe because I am a chocolate lover. the cake and the creamiest of the pudding was delicious.
Thanks Mary!
So do you pour the hot water over the cake ?
Yes – you pour it over the cake before baking.
You might also find it helpful to watch the video at the bottom of the recipe card.
Hey does it have to be a ceramic pan can it just be a silicon one instead ?
Hi Zerina – I’ve never tried this recipe in a silicon pan, just metal, glass and ceramic – I suppose it would work as long as you have some support underneath it as silicone baking pans are often very flexible. This is a soft cake after it is baked so you’ll need it under the silicone to lift easily out of the oven.
I really want to make this cake but my husband can’t eat chocolate. I don’t suppose there is a maybe a vanilla substitute for the cocoa powder?
Hi Jackie – No…but you might be interested in our Blueberry Pudding Cake with lemon: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/blueberry-pudding-cake/ – or this Sour Cream Pudding Cake: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/sour-cream-pudding-cake/
This turned out so good. The kids ate it all! I’m wondering if can be doubled and put in a 9×13 pan?
Glad you all enjoyed the cake Brandi! We haven’t tried a 9×13 ourselves, but I believe we’ve had some readers comment to tell us that they successfully did that. I suspect the baking time might be different so keep an eye on it while it bakes to avoid overbaking or underbaking.
How would you modify this recipe to a 9 X 13 pan?
Hi Mary Ann – We’ve only made it as written. But a 9×13 pan is around 1 1/2 the recipe as written so you can adjust the ingredients accordingly. The baking time will likely vary as well.
I did not stir and mine was just liquid even after standing for 30 minutes and more. Went over and over recipe and the only difference was that I didn’t used unsalted butter, but used salted. That should not have made a difference. Sent comment and read where another person had same outcome but was told recipe was checked and was correct. What could be wrong???
I’m not sure Jane…did you bake it the full 35 to 40 minutes after pouring the water on top of the batter? (The way your comment reads it almost sounds like you just let it sit but didn’t bake?) I’m not sure why some of our readers are having trouble with this cake setting up while others rave about it.
Could you give me a Carbohydate count? Serving size of 1 cup would be optimal & I can adjust the Carbohydrates based on the size.
Thanks.
Marcy Wilcke
Hi Marcy – I’ve added the nutritional information to the bottom of the recipe card.