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One of the most popular recipes on our site is a Hot Fudge Pudding Cake recipe that we shared after a family vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania. The recipe – with its warm gooey center and distinctively crunchy sugar top – is a long-standing classic dessert recipe originally shared by Hershey’s Kitchen. So many of our readers have told us that the recipe is a family favorite – and it’s certainly one of ours too!
So with Cinco de Mayo celebrations coming, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to play around a little with the recipe by adding some spices and seasonings – and our Mexican Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is the very delicious result!
We kept to the same classic recipe (after all, why mess with perfection!) – but we added some Saigon Cinnamon and some Mexican Chili Powder which both add the perfect amount of spiciness and a gentle heat that is a perfect complement to the warm, rich, gooey chocolate in this cake!
We served our Mexican Hot Fudge Pudding Cake with a scoop of our No-Churn Cinnamon Ice Cream. Enjoy!
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Mexican Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Although regular cinnamon may be substituted for the Saigon Cinnamon we listed in this recipe, try if possible to use the Mexican Chili Powder if you can. The Mexican Chili Powder (found at our local supermarket) had a sweeter and more mellow spiciness than the regular chili powder we had in our spice cabinet and is best suited for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Saigon Cinnamon (or regular cinnamon)
- 3/4 teaspoon Mexican Chili Powder
- 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
- Cinnamon Ice Cream, if desired for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 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, salt, Saigon Cinnamon and Mexican Chili Powder. Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased 2-quart dish (as shown in our photos) or a 9-inch square baking pan and spread evenly.
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, remaining ¼ cup cocoa and brown sugar, 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 dish (or 30-35 minutes if using the 9×9 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 cinnamon ice cream if desired and serve immediately.
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Marla says
Excellent and very easy. Honestly I think I’ll add extra chili powder next time, I like the spiciness with the chocolate.
Martha says
Thanks Marla! (You can definitely add more if you’d like!)
Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox says
Wow! This looks amazing! Sharing on my FB page and making it for the family on Friday. 🙂
Martha says
Thanks Kellie! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Lynn Wilhite says
I have to double the recipe because we have 3 young men that simply love it. I just had my 3rd hint for another one so I will do one tomorrow. By the way the hint goes like this “aunt Lynn when are you ever going to make a pudding cake. They sure are good.”
Martha says
LOL – thanks for sharing Lynn! So glad you all enjoy the recipe!
Kris says
When you double the recipe – do you back it longer? do you use a 9 x 13 pan?
Martha says
Hi Kris – I’m not sure if Lynn saw your question, but I would try using a 9×13 pan and yes, you’ll likely need to bake it for longer.
Kat says
This was really good .. I cut the sugar down, I didn’t have brown sugar .. Used melted coconut oil as I didn’t have butterc.. Increased the hot water to 1 1/2 c water … Next time I’ll put 2 c water to make it more saucy … The cake part turned out great .. This will be my go to recipe … Thanks for posting it 🙂
Martha says
Thank you Kat! We’re glad you liked the recipe and thank you for sharing your ideas for adapting the recipe! (Always great to see how the recipe works with some changes…) Have a great day!
Nikki says
Made this last night using regular cinnamon and chili powder and it was amazing!! I would recommend more salt to cut through the sweetness, but other than that, it was perfect!!
Martha says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Nikki – and great suggestion adding some salt! I can see how that would complement the sweetness! Thanks for writing to us today!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay) says
Oh! I am not even a huge chocolate lover but this, this is screaming to me!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Oh my gosh, I bet the Saigon Cinnamon was amazing in this!
Nutmeg Nanny says
I love the little hit of heat you added to this dish. I LOVE Mexican chile powder…so good!
Amy Huntley says
This looks amazing!
Martha says
Thanks Amy!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
Cinnamon and chili powder with chocolate are some of my favorite things. I can’t even being to explain how badly I want a warm scoop of this cake!