Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake

A simple and delicious whole food plant-based chocolate confection eagerly sharing its own self-made pudding sauce. Great served with fresh berries, non-dairy whipped cream, or ice cream.

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It’s not a secret – I need to make the same tasty chocolatey dessert repeatedly to make sure it’s just right for you. That way, I can be sure you’re getting the tastiest treat possible. And believe me, this one is well worth my indulgent plight.

In fact, I very much enjoy making this lovely Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake over and over and over again. And my chocolate-loving husband isn’t complaining either….

This is one of those delectable chocolatey desserts that I just can’t get enough of. It contains no oil, butter, eggs, or refined sugar. And yet, the pudding has a nice silky texture that thickens as it cools; and the cake possesses a nice smooth chocolate flavor that isn’t overly sweet. The texture is what you want in cake. It holds together very well with a nice crumb.

It’s very versatile, too. You can add chopped nuts if you prefer. Though you won’t see them since they burrow deep into the cake. But they’re delicious – I’ve made this with pecans and walnuts, but any nut would be welcome – unless you have a nut allergy. But that goes without saying.

You can also put this Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake in almost any kind of baking vessel you want. Long, oval, square, round. You could probably bake it in a large loaf pan, though I have not tried it. Maybe two regular loaf pans would be better. Then you can save one for later…. I think I’ll try this next time. If you do try this, you will need to decrease the baking time.

This Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake contains natural cacao and whole grains. In fact, it checks all the boxes for a wholesome plant-based dessert treat:

• Whole grains and natural healthful ingredients. Check!
• Chocolate. Check!
• Delicious. Check!
• Simple. Check!
• No unnecessary guilt. Check!

And best of all, it boasts a whole lot of chocolate pudding. Seriously, it creates pudding all by itself! Lots of warm chocolate pudding. I think it’s magic.

Does magic even exist?

This may sound whimsical, but I think it does. I believe magic is an expression of all the wonder in this beautiful world that science can’t explain straight away. Magic is how children see fireflies on a cool summer’s evening. Of course fireflies are founded on pure science. But to the mesmerized child, the firefly emitting a fantastic and wondrous light is one hundred percent magical. And for me, a dessert that creates it’s own chocolate pudding beneath perfectly textured chocolate cake is one hundred percent magical! Not gonna lie. I’m mesmerized.

So how does this cake make it’s own incredible pudding? Great question! It may be a bit of science or perhaps a little magic; but I’m not entirely sure which. It may be both. And that’s okay with me. I like the mystery of science and magic – the proof is in the pudding. 😉 Wouldn’t you agree?

First of all, this cake uses one bowl – bonus #1! After you mix up the batter, simply pour it into your baking dish. No greasing or flouring required – bonus #2! I promise nothing will stick. Then, using the same bowl, combine some cacao or cocoa powder and maple syrup until smooth. Pour that evenly on top of your batter. Then pour boiling hot water over the top and place it in a preheated oven.

Voila! When it comes out of the oven, it has an incredible layer of chocolate pudding on the bottom. Somehow through the process of baking, the heavy water flows to the bottom through the batter and the batter bakes to the top. I told you it might be science and magic working together. They do that sometimes.

The result is a perfectly textured chocolate cake with silky smooth chocolate pudding on the bottom. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just look at those layers. Psst.. that’s pudding on the bottom.

The original recipe contains quite a bit of refined sugar, dairy, and oil. Instead, this recipe replaces all of that with some wholesome unsweetened apple sauce and pure maple syrup. To be honest, it’s kinda like eating chocolate pancakes. Except instead of cooking them on a griddle, they’re in a cake pan. And of course, there’s the chocolate. (and don’t forget the magic.)

But this is an important point. If you prefer your desserts on the sweeter side, you may want to add in a little bit of sugar. But if you are like me and enjoy dark chocolate not-too sweet desserts, then you’re going to love this magical treat.

The other interesting thing about this Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake is that you can serve it in the baking dish with the pudding resting neatly on the bottom or you can flip it over and serve it with the pudding pooling on top.

Although, you should know that if you’re going to flip your cake over, it’s best to wait for it to cool a little first to allow the pudding to firm up just a little more. Otherwise, it can be a bit messy. And you should use a deep serving dish – not a plate. The hot pudding may spill over since it hasn’t had a chance to thicken up a little. I may or may not be speaking from experience… Believe me, making this dessert once again just so I can retake the flipped over photo is definitely on my to-do list. Actually, that’s a great idea! I think it would make a great dessert for July 4th weekend!

And of course, as with any type of warm chocolate dessert, it’s best served with a scoop of ice cream on top. I highly recommend the vanilla vegan ice cream at Aldi. It’s absolutely perfect on this Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake. But nice cream works, too.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup spelt flour (or AP/GF)*
• ¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder
• ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar (optional)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup chopped nuts** (optional)
• 1 ½ cups boiling water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cacao powder, sugar (if using), baking powder, and salt.
3. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the apple sauce, maple syrup, and vanilla.  
4. Pour the maple syrup-apple sauce mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Spread the batter in a small 8×8 baking dish or loaf pan.

1. Back in the bowl, combine the cacao powder and maple syrup and pour over the batter.
2. Pour the boiling water evenly over the chocolate syrup layer.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the center is set.
4. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes.  Don’t wait too long since the pudding thickens at is cools.
5. Serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes

* You can use any kind of flour, including gluten-free.

** I do not add sugar to my batter, but the original recipe contains quite a bit. So if you like your desserts sweet, you’ll probably be more content if you add in a little bit of sugar. If you prefer dark chocolate desserts, then you’ll enjoy this.

*** If you like walnuts or pecans in brownies, you may enjoy them in this.  Go for it! They add a little delicate and satisfying crunch. Strawberries and raspberries make great side accompaniments, too. Oh, and coconut whipped cream… now we’re just going over the top!!

**** I highly recommend serving this with your favorite vanilla ice cream.  I have served with frozen nice cream as well as Aldi’s vanilla vegan ice cream.  Both are delicious.

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This recipe was inspired by Southern Bite’s Hot Fudge Cake.