Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding is a classic dessert that everyone should know! One batter magically transforms into a moist chocolate cake with a beautiful chocolate sauce. Quick enough for a midweek treat, and a crowd pleaser for dinner parties.
Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding
I started the week off with Cottage Pie, wedged in a Stovetop Mac and Cheese on Wednesday and am finishing off the week with this Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding.
It seems that this week was Comfort Food Week here on RecipeTin Eats and I missed the memo. My own memo.😂
When I was younger, I was so fascinated with self saucing puddings. I always thought they were magical. One batter transforming into a cake that looks so innocent when it comes out of the oven, then when you break into it – boom! Eyes light up at the sight of all that chocolate sauce!!!
I should qualify that statement actually, it’s a little more than one batter. But not much more! All it takes is sprinkling sugar + cocoa on top of the batter and pouring over hot water. This mixture then sinks to the base of the dish as it bakes, passing through the cake making it sooooo moist (I love this thought!), and it reduces down to become a sauce.
You see in the photo above how I am pouring the hot water over the back of a spoon? The purpose of this is to soften the fall of water onto the sugar topping, to try to keep the surface as even as possible so the surface of the pudding is as even as possible when it comes out of the oven.
I’m not an expert at this part. Also, my recipe uses a slightly higher water to sugar ratio than most classic recipes because I like to have a sauce that is actually a bit like sauce, rather than a thick sludge. Mind you, sludge still tastes fabulous! It’s just a matter of preference.
So because I use slightly more water, the top of my pudding is not as perfectly smooth. Less water = smoother surface = less sauce. 🙂
See? Here’s my sauce. It’s pourable. But thick, not watery. You can actually scrape some off the bottom of the baking dish and pour it over.
I’ve never been embarrassed by the nubbly top of my puddings but if I was, I’d just dust it with icing sugar.
The pudding really is cake-like so you could in fact slice it and serve it like cake, then use a spoon to drizzle each slice with the chocolate sauce.
But tradition is to use a spoon to serve Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding. Scoop out big dollops of it so you get cake and sauce in each spoonful. It doesn’t look as neat as slicing, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding is just made with cocoa powder, no chocolate. I’m sure there are richer versions around with the addition of chocolate chips. But the traditional way is so darn good, I have no urge to stray!
I like to serve pudding with ice cream or cream, and usually some fresh strawberries or other fruit, just to break it up and add a pop of colour.
Easy enough for midweek. And a crowd pleaser for company. I am totally and utterly in love with Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding! – Nagi x
More cosy warm desserts for cold winter nights!
Apple Crumble – personal favourite!
Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Recipe video! And don’t worry, though you’ll see Dozer plodding over for a taste test, he didn’t get any. No chocolate for dogs!
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Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding
Ingredients
Topping
- 1 cup (175g) brown sugar , loosely packed (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder , unsweetened (Note 2)
- 1 1/4 cups (315ml) boiling water
Batter
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup (70g) white sugar , preferably caster/super fine but ordinary ok
- 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder , unsweetened (Note 2)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
- 50 g / 4 1/2 tbsp butter , melted
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170C/335F (standard) / 150C/305F (fan forced / convection).
- Grease a 5 – 6 cup baking dish with butter. (Note 3)
- Topping: Whisk brown sugar and cocoa in a bowl, set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, caster sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the butter and milk, then whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Mix until combined – it will be a thick batter.
- Spread into baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar / cocoa mixture. Shake gently to spread out thinly.
- Carefully pour the hot water over the back of a dessert spoon all over the top of the pudding – see photo in post or video below recipe. (Note 4)
- Transfer to oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when poked lightly. The top will be a bit crusty, like the top of brownies.
- Remove from oven, stand for just a few minutes (no more!), then serve immediately. (Note 5)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
He hates floor-mopping day even more than I do because I make him wear socks while I enjoy the feeling of clean floors for a few hours….
Another delicious recipe! My husband swindled me into making this at 9.30 last night as a treat….no regrets, it was wonderful!
My 8 year old son made this tonight, it was so yummy and everyone loved around the table. 5 bowls licked clean!
That’s awesome Sarah, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
I overcooked this by 10 mins accidentally because I had to settle a crying baby, and it was still delicious! Isolation doesn’t seem too bad when you’re full of chocolate pudding…
Chocolate fixes everything Bree 😂
Beautiful! Pretty sweet, so you don’t need a big serve. But turned out fantastic, thank you.
Hi, I don’t have cocoa powder, is it a must?
Hi Meriam, unfortunately it’s required fo this recipe – N x
Common staple ingredients yields a delicious, fast and easy dessert.
Needs way more sauce Nagi, like the Butterscotch Pudding amount that you have as well.
Delicious very simple to make. It was great the next day too as sauce had absorbed into cake turning into a fudgey choc cake.
Yum!!! I’m surprised it lasted to the next day – that stuff doesn’t last long around here 😂
The ROI on this recipe is off the charts. It’s so quick and easy and soooo delicious! While it is definitely best warm, I have also eaten it a good two hours after it came out of the oven and it’s still lovely.
I’m so glad you love it Kari – it’s dangerously addictive!!
Just a query about the amount of caster sugar required in the batter; 1/3 cup only works out to be about 68g sugar when I weigh it… (Not 110g!)
Hi, please can you tell me if I can make this without the egg would it work? I could add vinegar or yoghurt to the cake base? Thank you.
Hi Ambika, you need the egg in this one sorry! Not sure about adding vinegar and yogurt to it – sounds like you’d just be using a different recipe – N x
Ok noted:-) thank you!
Can I make this either up to pouring in the water or after and bring it to my daughter’s house and bake it before dinner so it will be warm
Hi Marcia, sorry you can’t – once you mix the wet ingredients, the rising agent is activated and it needs to go into the oven. – N x
There is multiple different measurements for 1 cup, should I just use one standard 250g cup for each one or follow your gram measurements? Eg 150g of flour and 175g of brown sugar
Hi Robert – 1 cup = 250ml of liquid, however with other food that isn’t as dense (like flour) 1 cup = 150g. If you’re ever unsure, use the weight measurement – N x
Thank you I didn’t know that. Would have normally just used the number measurement but wanted to make sure
Best Chocolate Self Sausing Pudding I have ever had. This chef nails everyone of her recipes! Although I would at more water to get the perfect amount of sause. Ive now made this recipe nearly a total of 10 times in 3 weeks! Abosultely obbessed!
Hi there, just made this tonight but sadly the sauce did not drop to the bottom. It stayed on top bubbling away. When I eventually pulled it out of the oven, the cake was hard and stodgy due to the fact I left it in longer than prescribed because I thought it wasn’t cooking. Any idea why the sauce stayed at the top and the cake stayed at the bottom? I made a butterscotch self saucing pudding last week that worked perfectly 😕 Otherwise the flavour was nice.
Hi Holly, sorry you had issues here, that’s never happened to me before!
I loved this, baked twice so far, as good as the White Wings packet mix! I did prepare a couple of hours before, worked well for me but perhaps I would have more sauce. I note your previous comment about keeping the wet and dry separate, will do so next time. Also, it took me 3 tries this time to work out that I needed to melt the butter WITH the milk – it congealed? otherwise. Such a good recipe, thanks.
Hi Cassie, yes if you add cold milk to butter, it will harden. I’m so glad you loved the recipe though!
Hi Nagi!! Just wondering could I prepare this ahead and pour the hot water over just before baking it? I would love to serve this at a dinner party but would like to do the prep before hand. Sorry I couldn’t find the answer in your comments section. Thank you!!!
Hi Nagi,
Just a quick question. I want the pudding to be more saucy. So
If I add more water, will it become more saucy?
Hi Elizabeth, unfortunately you can’t make it ahead because you’ll activate the raising agent and you’ll end up with flat pudding. The only way to prep this one is to keep the wet and dry ingredients separate and combine when ready to cook – N x
Thanks for your reply Nagi! I might just try your suggestion!:)
EVERY recipe I try from Recipetineats is a winner! Loved this chocolate self saucing pudding, was just like I remember from when I was a little girl, perhaps even better! I live in a different city to my best friend and our ‘currency’ is your recipes. Two to three times a week one of us will message saying “have you tried this?”. Love your work and really enjoyed listening to you talk on the Upsiders podcast.
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Jo! ❤️
There is multiple different measurements for 1 cup, should I just use one standard 250g cup for each one or follow your gram measurements? Eg 150g of flour and 175g of brown sugar
Amazing as usual. I trippled the recipe, made it in a Pyrex dish, baked for 35min and served with strawberrys and icecream. Was just too good
Wahoo, sounds amazing!
At 150 deg (fan forced) after 30mins it was underdone. Increased temp to 180 for a further 10-12 mins when it bounced back at the touch. Unfortunately even tho it looked cooked it tasted doughy.
I’ll give it another go maybe at 180 deg next time because let’s face it Nagi your recipes are usually fantastic.
Oh no Amanda, I’m sorry you had issues with this one – the trick is to have it slightly underdone so it doesn’t dry out – N x
Hi from London Nagi,
Looks delicious. My grandmother used to make this for us back in the 1960s, it was our favourite pudding after Sunday lunch, but I lost her recipe a few years ago. I think I recall her using self raising flour instead of plain flour and baking powder. Could I do this? Seems like quite a lot of baking powder per cup of flour and I think I would remember that, so I think she must have used self raising.
Hi London, you could definitely use self raising instead, I just don’t usually have it in my cupboard so substitute in the plain flour with baking powder – N x