So many good things to celebrate today, let me count the ways:
- Chocolate.
- It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken is officially 2 years old! That means I have been posting my recipes, and blabbing my heart out via keyboard to you guys for two full years now. Yay, happy birthday blog! Thanks blog.
- Chocolate.
- Shall we say it again, CHOCOLATE!!!! Can you believe that I went an entire year without using chocolate as a feature ingredient!? I saved the best for last, because that's what you are supposed to do with dessert... apparently. Let's celebrate all of these exciting things with Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake.
This is a picture of love if I ever saw one. This Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake is so amazing! Its warm, ooey-gooey, fudge-y, chocolatey, and it has a secret super power: it makes its own chocolate sauce! You just pop it in the oven, and when you scoop it up, you find all of these amazing pocket of chocolate pudding sauce hidden right in the cake. So cool and exciting (not to mention crazy delicious)!
Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake is made in three layers, the bottom cake layer, the middle powder layer, and the top water layer. It seems very odd, but then amazing things happen in the oven. So we are just going to go with it and trust the process.
Let's get baking!
To Make the Bottom Cake Layer:
Whisk up the dry ingredients...
Then add in the wet and mix it all up together.
Spread that out in a lightly greased pan. Cake layer, done.
The Middle Powder Layer:
Is a mixture of brown and white sugar, and cocoa. Just whisk them together...
Sprinkle it over the cake layer. Shake the pan a little so the powder layer is even. Done with that layer. See, easy.
For the Final Layer:
Just pour the hot water right on top of the cake. It will make a big old puddle, and you might be curious about your creation, but just trust me, good things happen in the oven. Don't stir it, just let the water be, and pop it in the oven.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and when you take it out it will look something like this chocolate amazingness. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before serving then dive in!
This Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake is stellar served warm, but it's still pretty darn good when served cool as well. Serve along with a big scoop of dairy-free ice-cream such as So Delicious Dairy Free Creamy Vanilla.
Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients
For the bottom cake layer:
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional to enhance flavour*)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the middle powder layer:
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
For the top water layer:
- 1 ¼ cups hot water
- vegan vanilla ice cream (optional for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease an 8"x8" pan and set aside.
- To make the bottom cake layer, in a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, the sugar, flour, cocoa, instant espresso, and baking powder. Add the coconut oil, plant-based milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Don't over mix. Pour the batter into the pan, and use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly across the pan.
- To make the middle powder layer, in another bowl, mix together the white sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Sprinkle the powder mixture evenly over the bottom cake layer in the pan. Give the pan a shake, so the powder layer evenly covers the batter layer.
- For the top water layer, pour the hot water on top of the powder layer. Do not mix. It will look like a puddle, and that's the way it should be. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the centre looks almost set. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with dairy-free ice-cream on the side if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan
Sam.
Gale says
Are there any changes that need to be made to the recipe for high altitude?
emmegebe says
I made it at 5000 ft and it turned out fine. The way this cake rises on top and makes a pudding on the bottom, it doesn't really matter how perfectly even the rising is so I don't think altitude makes much difference in the outcome.
Emma says
Thanks for the recipe! Made this very last minute for a BBQ to offset all the non-vegan creamy desserts others were making. It was so easy, I had all of the ingredients already and this took 10 minutes to mix up. I made a double batch and many had second helpings. Beautiful texture, not too sweet and was good for all the family. I've had to send the recipe to several people already! Thanks again Sam
Beata says
Holy smokes, what a find! I wanted to bake something special for my boyfriend's birthday (I try to eat lower carb but he loves sugary chocolate treats so I was looking for traditional but easy chocolate cake recipes) and after reading about the self making chocolate sauce, I knew I had to try this cake. Period. We are not vegans but we eat a lot of vegan meals and I frequent several vegan websites including IDTLC for meal inspiration, which always ends up in delicious creations that are on repeat!!!
Mixed everything by hand; a mixer was not really needed anyway. The cake layer was pretty thick in consistency, but it could have been because the flour may have been packed too much in my 1 cup measuring cup? I also ended up using dairy milk from my boyfriend's fridge because I forgot to bring my own almond milk to bake the cake at his house for after dinner dessert... Anyway, I pressed on. Had to use a small round glass baking pan (about 8" diameter if I had to guess?) so I ended up with a pretty thick sugar layer and the water layer covered the cake completely. The cake was baking while we cooked his birthday dinner and I took the cake out right before we sat down to dinner so that the cake had a chance to cool as we ate dinner.
I knew to expect the chocolate sauce hidden in the cake but I was still blown away when the sauce was actually there!!! OMG, this all worked like magic! The cake was super scrumptious and although I try to limit my cars, I shamelessly went for a second piece right after the first one. I also had a piece for breakfast the next day (warmed up in the microwave for about 20 seconds) - the cake was that great! My boyfriend also had seconds after dinner and a warmed up piece with his breakfast the next day. Sooo yummy!
This cake is an absolute wonderful gooey chocolate heaven - thank you Sam!!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing!! So thrilled you loved it so much, Beata! You reminded me that I should make this cake again soon too!! 🙂
Beata says
Um, you absolutely should - we just had some after dinner, and even though the cake leftovers have been sitting in the fridge for a few days now, the cake was still spectacular warmed up in the microwave! Thank you again!!!
Jenbro says
Isn’t this the BEST cake?? Our no -vegan family has been making this for decades and I was so excited when I realized it would transition right into our new vegan eating!!
Louise says
Loved this recipe! I used cacao instead of cocoa and it was lovely. Thank you
Breanne says
Thanks so much for this recipe Sam! It was amazing! I cooked it for a group of friends in my camp oven on the weekend. They're still raving about it in our WhatsApp chat (I was the only vegan).
In case any one is wanting to try this in their camp oven, I followed all cooking instructions to the tee, then placed the oven on medium coals, topped with medium coals and allowed to cook for about 25-30 min. Absolute perfection!! It warmed up the -4C night perfectly!!
Thanks so much again, this will become a staple camping!!
Eleanor says
DAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG, this is so so GOOD!!! Made exactly as the recipe states, only baked in individual ramekins ...so scrumptious and indulgent!
Jil says
Eleanor, how many ramekins did this fill..? And did it take the same amount of time in the oven?
Viveka says
Hi Sam! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Simply easy and awesome.
I replaced sugar with maple syrup and no baking soda or powder (usually avoid), still it came really good.Thank you again.
Amy Alton says
I made this for NYE and it was delicious! In the past, before I stopped eating dairy, I made Paula Dean's chocolate cobbler. This is really similar and I love that it doesn't require complicated ingredients since I live overseas and have a hard time finding special items.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
mimi says
Do you think I could add some berries to the wet/bottom layer? Like fresh raspberries perhaps? Would the recipe still work? I love the chocolate/raspberries combo and would love to try but am worried it would ruin the whole thing 🙁 The recipe is great, used almond butter instead of oil as I didn’t have any at home but it was still amazing!
Sofia says
Hi Sam, I just came across this recipe on Instragram and I definitely want to try it 🙂 But I have one question, what kind of oil can I use instead of coconut oil? Thanks a lot.
Sam Turnbull says
You could use a vegan butter alternative. Enjoy!
Sasha says
I just made this dessert 2 nights in a row for 2 different dinner parties and both times people were blown away, licking their plates!! I used canola oil instead and it worked perfectly. Served it straight out of the oven with whipped cream. Absolute winner!! Easy, delicious and impressive! Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww yay!!! So thrilled it's such a hit recipe for you, Sasha 🙂
Betty Hatfield says
This is my favorite dessert.I top it with ice cream (vegan, of course.)
Sam, I really enjoy your FB posts. Your posts shows up on my newsfeed more than anyone else's. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
That's so great, Betty! Thrilled you enjoy my recipes and my posts so much 🙂
Laura says
Looksbfood!Hand mixing ok? Glass cookware ok?
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely, Enjoy!
Hillary says
Delicious & easy!!! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Hillary!
Bob says
I just made this for our dinner and it is great. Thank you. I would like to substitute Canola Oil for the Coconut Oil. Is that possible?
Sam Turnbull says
The canola oil will likely make the cake a little less dense and rich but should work ok. Enjoy!
Lina says
Soooooooo good! I realize I'm late to the party on this recipe post. I just wanted to add onto the cost factor. I was looking for a cake that I could make with ingredients from the $0.99 cent store (or pound shop for readers) and THIS IS IT! Everything from the espresso powder to non-dairy milk to a choice of either virgin or refined coconut oil were ALL available at our 99 cent only store. This very rich, decadent cake makes a lot. Next time I plan to add cinnamon, a bit of salt and dash of cayenne to give it a mexican hot cocoa taste.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful! So happy to know it's such an affordable dessert 🙂
Izzy says
Hi Sam,
I'm thinking about making this, looks amazing.
I was wondering about the instant coffee powder. I have granules. Do i just blitzz that up or can I omit?
Is this used just to make it rich or would it give a coffee like taste?
Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Izzy, coffee naturally enhances the flavour of coffee. I think either blitzing or omitting will work just fine. Enjoy!
Jade says
Hi Sam,
I was hoping to make this for Christmas dessert, and I was wondering whether you know if the quality would be compromised if I made it in advance the day before & stored in fridge to save time spent in the kitchen. Then I can just reheat a portion for myself on Christmas Day without having to cook all of it? Or do you think it would be much better to make it fresh?
Thanks so much!
Sam Turnbull says
For this recipe, I would recommend making it fresh. It's best served hot from the oven. Enjoy!
Beth says
Made this pudding yesterday, it tasted great and was super simple! I’m not a fan of washing up so used the same bowl for the 2nd mix as the 1st, dont think this had a negative effect. I didn’t use the espresso powder either as didn’t have any in the cupboard!
I’d definitely make this again, it is cheap and easy and my non vegan guests were amazed it didn’t contain egg/butter/cream.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you loved it so much, Beth 🙂
Hazel says
Hi Sam,
I dont want to use oil at all.
Can I substitute oil with apple sauce?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Hazel, oil-free baking isn't my speciality so I'm not sure if it would work. You're welcome to try!