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This hot fudge pudding cake is an easy and showstopping dessert that uses simple ingredients! A warm chocolate cake with a hidden layer of chocolate fudge sauce! Vegan, gluten free, and dairy free.
Hot Fudge Cake
When it comes to vegan chocolate dessert recipes, I love a simple chocolate cake, chocolate brownies, and this delicious hot fudge pudding cake.
As a child, dessert after dinner was not an often occurrence. If we were still hungry after meals, my sister and I would be offered the fruit bowl. Weekends, however, were another story. My mom would always make a little treat for us to enjoy after Sunday dinner. Sometimes it was apple pie, sometimes it was blondies and sometimes, it would be a hot fudge cake.
I can’t lie, the hot fudge cake was ALWAYS my favorite. The chocolate cake is super moist, and when doused in the hot fudge sauce, it turned into an almost pudding like consistency!
Chocolate Cobbler, Pudding Cake, or self saucing pudding?
Now, depending on where in the world you are located, a hot fudge pudding cake has a few different names. In Australia, it’s often called a chocolate self saucing pudding. In some parts of America, it’s called an old fashioned chocolate cobbler. To some others, it is a pudding cake.
Regardless of what you call it, it’s one show stopping dessert that just happens to be vegan AND gluten free!
Ingredients to make a pudding cake
These are the ingredients to make this chocolate pudding cake. You’ll love the simple ingredient list and how it only takes minutes to make. The hard part is waiting for the cake to cool slightly, before serving!
For the cake
- Sugar of choice– White sugar is best, but you can also use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or see my tips below to healthify this recipe and make this sugar free.
- All purpose flour– Either plain flour or gluten free flour. I used Bob’s Gluten Free 1:1 All purpose flour, NOT their baking flour. I can’t vouch for other gluten free brands.
- Cocoa powder– Use a good quality cocoa powder, for a more intense chocolate flavor. If you enjoy dark and rich desserts, use dark cocoa powder.
- Baking powder– Gives some rise to the pudding.
- Salt– Brings out the sweetness.
- Milk of choice– I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk will work fine.
- Butter OR margarine– I used vegan butter, to keep this recipe vegan friendly. Vegan margarine can also be used.
- Vanilla extract– A must for any good chocolate dessert!v
For the fudge sauce
- Sugar AND Brown sugar- A combination of white sugar and darker sugar ensures a rich, thick, and sweet fudge sauce. Use either white and brown sugar, white and coconut sugar, or the sugar free subs below.
- Cocoa powder– As above.
- Hot water– This will be poured all over the pudding cake, which once baked, will seep to the bottom. Once you break into the cooked pudding cake, it will rise and add a layer of warm, soft fudge sauce.
How do you make a hot fudge cake?
In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry cake ingredients and mix well. Add in your milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Transfer the cake mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together your sugars and cocoa powder for the fudge sauce. Sprinkle this over the cake mixture. Finally, pour the hot water over the top of the cake. Do not whisk or touch the water on top.
Transfer the pudding cake into a preheated oven and bake at 180C/350F for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops are set. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes, before serving.
Can I make the recipe healthier?
If you’d like to make this healthier, make the following substitutions-
- Butter/margarine– Swap this out for unsweetened applesauce.
- White sugar– Use monk fruit sweetener or erythritol instead.
- Brown sugar– Use a brown sugar substituted instead.
- Flour– Swap the white whole wheat all purpose flour.
Can I make this recipe keto or low carb?
This cake hasn’t been substituted or trialed using keto ingredients. You may prefer a keto chocolate cake or a keto flourless cake instead.
Tips to make the best cake
- This isn’t the kind of cake you can prepare in advance. It tastes best fresh and warm, so the fudge sauce is oozing out. The prep work takes less than 5 minutes, so you can have the cake baking AND entertain guests at the same time.
- I recommend using butter over margarine, for a more tender and moist cake.
- If you’d prefer a less sweet pudding cake, reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup (total).
- Serve hot fudge cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Storing and freezing pudding cake
- To store: Cooked pudding cake, once cooled down, can be stored in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks. The cake is best enjoyed warm, so you should reheat it.
- To freeze: Place cake in a freezer friendly container, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat as directed.
- To reheat: Either reheat the cake in the microwave (30 second spurts until warm) or in a preheated oven. The cake will be extra moist, as most of the fudge sauce has been soaked up already. Once it is warm, it will seep some out.
More easy chocolate desserts you’ll enjoy
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 3/4 cup sugar of choice white, brown, coconut, or sugar free subs * See notes
- 1 cup all purpose flour gluten free, if needed
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine melted, I used vegan butter
For the hot fudge sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar of choice white, brown, coconut, or sugar free subs * See notes
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar * See notes
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all your cake ingredients together, and mix well, until combined. Transfer into the greased pan.
- In a separate bowl, combine your fudge sauce ingredients, except for the hot water. Sprinkle the sugar/cocoa mixture over the top of the cake. Gently pour the hot water over the top of the cake. Do not mix or whisk it.
- Bake the pudding bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is just done. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, before serving. 1
Thank you for sharing a keto version of this cake. I am going to try it today 🙂
So easy and absolutely delicious! My family was so wowed by this and my husband said this should be our family dessert going forward!
I’ve made this several times. It is a favorite of the family! I used a smaller oval baking dish.
Hadn’t made chocolate pudding cake in so long (used to make it with gluten flour/butter), but happy to find this GF recipe, that I also made Vegan, with avocado oil and almond milk. It turned out perfectly and SO delicious, just I remember. Thank you for a great recipe! *Just a note that I used an 8” x 8” casserole dish, as I used to, as I thought a 9” x 13” pan would be too large and make the cake too thin. It turned out great in the smaller dish!
Absolutely gorgeous will definitely be making this again. Thank you 🙂
Love it
It looks so good I would like to try this one
do you know if Almond flour would work?
I don’t think so!
Can xylitol or Allulose be used as sweetener in this?
You could try and see.
Is almond flour considered. gluten free. Flour?
If you like chocolate cake you will love this Chocolate pudding cake it’s delicious.
Oh my goodness! This is 10/10 and will now become a recipe on repeat ! Now off for a run 😆
Oh my gosh ! 10/10 for this recipe ….used Nuttelex instead of butter. All regular sugars and almond milk …delish 😊. Now I better go for a run .
Arman,
This looks amazing! I’ve made several of your low carb recipes and enjoyed them. Any ideas on flour substitutes to make this low carb?
Thank you,
René
Not that I’ve tried Rene!
You wrote, “you CAN store pudding cake in the refrigerator…” I assume that means I don’t have to? Seems like it would have to be, but my refrigerator is tiny. Strangely, I’ve not found a straight answer anywhere on Google, so apparently no one knows. Very frustrating.
It doesn’t need to 🙂 Only longer than several days.
I should have added…I watched your video making the crunch bars! <3
Arman! You are so cute! Loved hearing your voice =)…and this recipe is awesome! Right up my taste bud alley! Thanks for sharing. I am making this one day soon. Take care.
You are so welcome!
Do you make any of your fabulous recipes like this as Mug Cup recipes? I have zero willpower when it comes to not eating the whole dessert!
Working on one for this 🙂