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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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This is super delicious! The sauce goes underneath the cake and if you like it warm with vanilla ice cream it makes a delicious desert. I prefer to eat mine the next day or after it is completely cool for a few hours. The bottom under the cake becomes like a thick fudge sauce over top of the cake. We always called this ‘ Upside-Down Chocolate cake,’ It is great for a get together or eating it all yourself!! LOL Which of course I have never done!!!
Thank you so much Deb! 🙂
This is absolutely amazing!! Just wondering how to reheat.
We’ve warmed up portions in the microwave – but just be sure to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. The sauce might soak into the cake as it is reheated.
This was a great dessert. I made it for my son’s birthday tonight. It was a huge hit with everyone. I doubled it and put it in a glass 9 X 13. You are right…. the vanilla ice cream is a must!
Thanks Jennifer…you have me craving this dessert now! 🙂
This recipe looks so delicious! I can’t wait to make it!
Hope you love it!
My nephew wanted a pudding cake for his birthday, so off to Pinterest I went in search of a recipe. I wasn’t too sure about the part where you pour the hot water over the top, but stuck with it to see how it turned out. Oh my goodness, it’s so good! So rich and chocolaty, we loved it.
Thanks Penny! I agree – that part is unusual…but it totally works to create that sauce! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Was a show stopper
Lots of compliments 😊
Will be making it again ✔️😁
So glad the cake was a hit Janet – thank you!
So, so good and very easy!
Thanks Tami!
Love this recipe!
Thanks Laura! (Me too!) 🙂
This cake was perfection! I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 glass baking dish. It seemed a little too runny when the timer went off so I turned off the oven and let the cake sit for another 20 min. The result was amazing. Equal parts crunchy topping, moist cake, and gooey center.
Thanks Alpa!
Hello Martha and Jack:
Just wanted to say hello and this cake brings back memories … I used to waitress in a steak house…Emerson’s .. in Paramus NJ. We had this on the menu and it was served in a giant goblet with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on top of it! Major chocolate explosion for sure! Have a grand holiday with your loved ones. Thanks for posting this recipe.
What a delicious memory Doris! 🙂 Happy Holidays to you and yours too!