Sweet of the Month for March: salted caramel, pecans, chocolate cake and hot fudge!
In my last post I was kind of whining about the weather, whining about work, and feeling a bit sorry for myself. Believe me, working on March Sweet of the Month really helped cheer me up! Sometimes you’ve just got to have some hot fudge…
I started with a simple chocolate pudding cake. I think I’ve made this recipe a million times since I was little. Try it over March break with your kids. It’s a great recipe to introduce them to baking – so simple and almost impossible to ruin. The original recipe, from Hersey Chocolate, is a family staple. I’ve made it even better by adding the moist goodness of canola oil and a hint of coffee mocha flavour.
O.K., so this is not the prettiest cake when it comes out of the oven, flat and down right disappointing. However, as in most things in life, don’t be fooled by outward appearance. This cake is hiding a delicious secret underneath the surface. When you take a scoop out, the moist cake on top gives way to a thick gooey layer of hot fudge all along the bottom. That’s how it got the name ‘pudding’ cake.
I think it’s best served warm out of the oven. Make sure you scoop up lots of the hot fudge sauce from the bottom of the pan on to each individual serving.
If you’re like me, the Hot Fudge Pudding Cake was great, but adding some ‘turtle’ action takes it to another level of awesomeness. This time of year, we need all the awesomeness we can get baby.
Making the original pudding cake into Turtle Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is simple. Top each serving with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Then drizzle with salted caramel sauce, use store bought or try this recipe from blogger Michelle of Brown Eyed Baker. Almost done, just top with toasted chopped pecans and I think we’re done here.
Turtle Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
EMAIL Recipe Share on FacebookIngredients
- 1-1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa, divided
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1-1/4 cups hot water
- 1 tsp instant coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 2-quart or 9" x 9" dish.
- In a large bowl combine 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, canola oil and vanilla, blending until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared dish and spread evenly.
- In a small bowl, stir remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup cocoa and mix well. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the batter in the dish.
- Heat water to just under a simmer and dissolve in the instant coffee. Pour over top of pan - DO NOT STIR OR MIX IN!
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until centre is almost set. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Make sure you spoon hot fudge sauce from the bottom of pan on to each serving.
Turtle Toppings: Top each serving with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Then drizzle with salted caramel sauce and chopped toasted pecans.
This post is sponsored by Manitoba Canola Growers. Thank you for supporting the great products that support EIEO.
I love the idea of salted caramel, I usually just eat mine straight up! Love this recipe, thanks for sharing!