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
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
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.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
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.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Hershey’s Kitchens
I saw in the description/narrative it’s says to spoon the batter in to a greased pan but the recipe says ungreased, not sure which way to go.
Thank you so much for alerting us to that confusing recipe Ryan! The original recipe called for this to be made in a non-stick metal 9×9 baking pan (ungreased) – but we made it in a round ceramic dish and I did spray it with cooking spray before baking it. I will update the recipe to clarify that! Thank you again for writing to us!
Thank you for replying, I’m making this cake for tonight and can’t wait to try it!
Hope you enjoy it Ryan!
YUM!!
Thanks Michelle!
This is in the oven right now!
Hope you like it Shiloh!
It was fantastic! Great recipe. I’ve been looking forever for a chocolate cake that would rival Shoney’s. My husband thinks theirs is the best. (But they’re all closing because their restaurant sucks.) thank you!
Thanks Shiloh – glad it’s a hubby-approved recipe!
I wonder of this would work with gluten free flour, this is a favorite from my childhood!
I don’t know Kelly – but we would love to hear how it turns out if you try it with gluten free flour!
Wow, this looks SO good! I want to eat it NOW!
Thanks Carissa!
A visit to Hershey Park has been on my Bucket List since I was a little girl. What an awesome family vacation. Reminiscing over a little hot fudge pudding cake at home isn’t a bad idea, either.
Thanks Kirsten!
I have visited Hershey so many times I can’t even count them…and I never knew you could make your own candy bar! Looks like so much fun! And this cake….drooling.
Thanks Kellie!
Wow! I want to dive in face first!
Thanks Nicole!
Love the pics Martha! Hershey has to go on my bucket list now that I live in Philly – heard their hotel spa is to die for and the park is a blast! That cake looks so rich and chocolatey!
Thanks Aly! I’ve heard good things to about the onsite hotel – maybe next time!
No kidding! This looks absolutely amazing. I’ll take ooey gooey chocolate any day of the week!
Thanks Jessica!