No-Labor Labor Day Chocolate Pudding Cake

I saw this Labor Day recipe from the Portland Monthly a few years ago. I've posted variations on Chocolate Pudding Cake before, but this is a slightly different recipe, and, as you know from reading this blog, I can never have too many recipes. This is a great No-Labor Labor Day Dessert. Decadent and delicious. Make this recipe with the kids. It's a great chemistry lesson--dry ingredients, water, oven..and a molten treat! You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry and frig. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, and/or fruit and nuts.

NO-LABOR LABOR DAY CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients
1 cup flour (sifting optional)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil (vegetable or corn oil are fine)
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions
Sift dry ingredients together. Mix milk, egg, and oil together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in big bowl. Stir until smooth. Add vanilla to bowl. Pour mixture into baking dish (1 1/2 - 2 quart casserole dish). Mix together additional dry ingredients (brown and white sugars and cocoa) and pour on top of everything already in baking dish. Pour boiling water on top of whole concoction. (No stirring!) Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 45-50 minutes.

Chocolate Pudding Cake: National Chocolate Pudding Day

Today is Chocolate Pudding Day. I just love this old-fashioned Chocolate Pudding Cake. This cake actually has two layers--a moist chocolate cake and a thick chocolate pudding sauce. The recipe has been around for a long time and is a precursor to Molten Chocolate Cake. The first recipe is incredibly easy--kind of a chemistry experiment. No need for the mixer. You can do everything quickly by hand. Both recipes are pretty simple and great to make with kids! Always good to have a choice. Chocolate Pudding Cake is the perfect recipe for a great dessert. And, there are many fun variations--and just as many terrific toppings. Ice cream is #1 for me, but Bourbon Whipped Cream would be great, too!

1. Chocolate Pudding Cake

Ingredients
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions
Sift dry ingredients together. Mix milk, egg, and oil together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in the big bowl. Stir until smooth. Add vanilla to bowl. Pour mixture into baking dish (1 ½ - 2 quart casserole dish). Mix together additional dry ingredients (brown and white sugars and  cocoa) and pour on top of everything already in the baking dish.
Pour boiling water on top of everything. DO NOT STIR.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes.

2. Chocolate Pudding Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick cooking spray,  8 inch (20 cm) square baking dish.

Pudding Sauce Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoon instant coffee (powder or granules)
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Cake Ingredients: 
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup (25 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pudding Sauce Directions: 
Stir instant coffee into boiling water (or freshly brewed hot coffee.)
In separate bowl, stir together white sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder.

Cake Directions: 
In bowl, sift flour with cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
In another large bowl, whisk the egg with the melted butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until combined. Spread batter evenly onto bottom of prepared pan.
Sprinkle sugar/cocoa mixture evenly over cake batter. Gently pour coffee mixture over cocoa mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes or until cake is puffed and just beginning to pull away from sides of the pan. Remove from oven and place on wire rack.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

As I mentioned the other day, I like to try recipes I find in odd places. Now the American Heart Association isn't odd, but this recipe is a Diabetes-Friendly Recipe, and it is absolutely fabulous! There are two layers to this Chocolate Pudding Cake--one cakelike and the other gooey. Together they're just right! This is also a very easy cake to prepare. I've tweaked it a bit, but I didn't add anything unhealthy. The recipe mentions this is a very satisfying cake. I think it is, even if you're not diabetic or pre-diabetic. It does call for some sugar.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon unsweetened dark cocoa powder

Cake Layer
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 chopped pecans
3 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla

Pudding Layer
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lightly spray 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Dust bottom with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

For cake layer, in a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, pecans, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add evaporated milk, oil, and vanilla, stirring until well combined. Using rubber scraper or back of a large spoon, spread the batter in the pan. (The batter is very thick.)

For pudding layer, in another medium bowl, stir together sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Whisk in water and vanilla. Pour over batter. Do not stir.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center. (A cake tester or wooden toothpick doesn't work well for testing doneness.)

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, spooning the pudding over the cake.