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Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake

Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake is both amazingly delicious and amazingly easy to make. It’s fudgy, moist, and rich enough to please any chocolate lover!

Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake in baking dish with ice cream scoops on top

Fudgy Chocolate Pudding Cake

Pudding cakes are such a wonder. They are some kind of baking magic! Two separate mixtures come together to make both a cake and a sauce at the same time for a dessert that’s moist, fudgy, and, in the case of this Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake, supremely decadent.

Yes, Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake has a good dose of chocolate, but I don’t think you’ll complain. If you’re a fan of fudgy chocolate desserts, you’ll want to make this one as soon as possible!

Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake in bowl with ice cream

This cake is mixed as two separate components. As it bakes, the cake rises to the top, leaving a pudding layer on the bottom. The texture is somewhere between cake and brownie. No frosting is required, but ice cream is a perfect companion.

If you’ve made another BoB favorite, Chocolate Cobbler, you may be thinking this looks similar, and you’re right. That one is also a pudding cake, but it’s more cake-like and has a bit more sauce than this Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake. They’re both fantastic, so you can choose which texture you prefer.

(Want to try more pudding cake recipes? Check out my Vanilla Pudding Cake, Cinnamon Pudding Cake, and Berry Pudding Cake!)

ingredients for Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

For the cake:

  • All-purpose flour – Learn more: How to Measure Flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Baking powder
  • Milk – I recommend using whole milk.
  • Vegetable oil – Canola oil will work in this recipe, too.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chopped pecans or walnuts – Not a fan of nuts? You can certainly leave them out.

For the pudding:

  • Granulated sugar
  • Cocoa powder
  • Boiling water

Which Is Better, Dutch Processed or Natural Cocoa?

You can use either option for this recipe. Dutch process cocoa will give you a deeper, darker chocolate flavor, while natural cocoa tastes more like a classic brownie.

overhead view of Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake in a blue-rimmed white bowl

How to Make Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake

With a dessert that sounds so elaborate, you might be surprised how easy it is to make! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Make the cake layer:

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Finish the cake batter. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla, then fold in the nuts. Pour the batter into a 1-quart baking dish.

Make the pudding and bake:

Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl.

Add the water. Slowly stir the boiling water into the dry ingredients.

Top the cake batter. Carefully pour the pudding mixture over the cake batter in the pan. 

Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serving of Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake in bowl with ice cream

Tips for Success

These simple hints and tips will help you make a perfect Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake!

  • Measure accurately. This recipe is fairly forgiving, but it’s always a good idea to make accurate measurements for baking. Use a kitchen scale for dry ingredients and sugar if you can, and take care to measure the other ingredients well.
  • Use a good quality cocoa powder. All of the chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder, so be sure to use a good one.
  • Pour the pudding on with a light touch. If you dump the pudding into the baking dish, it will mix with the cake batter. Pour it lightly, or spoon it over the cake batter.
  • Serve warm. This pudding cake is definitely best served warm. If you need to reheat it, try warming it in a low-temperature oven for a few minutes.
  • Don’t forget the ice cream! Go classic with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or try chocolate chip, coffee, or your favorite flavor to pair with chocolate.
Overhead view of Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake in baking dish with scoops of ice cream

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Cover leftovers in the baking dish or transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for about 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 300ºF oven just until warmed through.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

You can freeze Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake for up to 3 months. Wrap it well, then thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating according to the instructions above.

ice cream-topped Brownie Pudding Cake in a blue oval baking dish

More Easy Chocolate Desserts

Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake

Yield 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

This delightful chocolate dessert is wonderfully quick and easy!

overhead view of Brownie Pudding Cake in an oval baking dish

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup (59ml) milk
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup (30g) chopped pecans or walnuts

For the pudding:

  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup (177ml) boiling water
  • ice cream, for serving

Instructions

To make the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
  3. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Then stir in the nuts.
  4. Transfer the batter to an ungreased 1-quart baking dish.

To make the pudding:

  1. Whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl.
  2. Gradually stir in the boiling water.
  3. Pour over the cake batter. Do not stir.
  4. Bake 30 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

Recipe slightly adapted from BH&G New Baking Book.

Cover leftovers in the baking dish or transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for about 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 300ºF oven just until warmed through.

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    4 Comments on “Brownie Chocolate Pudding Cake”

  1. Thank you for posting this recipe. It is really simple to make. It tastes really good. I kinda added a bit too much cocoa powder so it was bitter but I loved it. The consistency is superb. I had a doubt though, does the cake batter have a consistency similar to a drop cookie because mine had that consistency. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! I had been searching for a pudding cake for a long time.

  2. I was so happy to find this recipe….I remember making it as a kid with my mum and it was one of my first baking experiences, ahhh sweet memories. Straight from the Trusty Better Homes and Gardens red checkered cookbook (early 70’s if I remember correctly. I’m the proud owner of the well worn, well loved book now!) this recipe is not only easy, but foolproof and one that you can’t help but love again and again! For chocoholics everywhere this is a must try!

  3. Brownie, pudding, and cake? Yes please!
    Thanks for posting!
    Jess : )

  4. I’m printing this recipe and will try it out for my son’s birthday over the weekend. I just love the concept of a brownie pudding cake since I love all three of them.

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