Chocolate Pudding Chocolate Cake

Ultimate dessert for any chocolate lover: chocolate pudding mix, rich chocolate cake, topped with chocolate glaze. A wonderful recipe for a birthday party.

An old-fashioned combination of the perfect cake made with pudding with so many ways to use pudding and the cake base: from instant pudding to poke cake.

The best part: it is ridiculously easy to make! When you look at this beautiful, ganache-covered cake, you may think there are many steps in the process but it is almost a dump-and-go cake recipe!

Why I Love This Recipe

• One of my family’s favorite chocolate desserts. Such an indulgent moist chocolate cake you just want to dig in! A ton of chocolate flavor in every bite.
• This cake can never be dry as we have pudding mix in the batter and glaze.
• Easy and cheap version similar in taste to the restaurant-style lava cake hence it is sometimes called Hot fudge pudding cake. (which was invented here on the Big Island) A quick 10-minute prep and some baking make a delicious one-pan pudding cake that feeds 10-12 people.
• One-pan one-layer. No complex layering and games with hot water. I mix everything at once and it comes together in the oven nicely. Instant Pudding shortcut saves us precious time and we don’t have to cook anything separately. You won’t notice the difference in taste.

What Is The Difference Between Cake And Pudding Cake?

Unlike normal cake, pudding cake has pudding in the batter that makes the cake ultra-rich during baking.

With simple ingredients, it makes the cake moist, rich, and extra chocolatey.

In the end, with pudding cake, you have both cakey dough and chocolate in one pan.

Ingredients Notes

Chocolate Cake Batter With Pudding

• Granulated sugar. White sugar sweetens this cake better, but brown sugar can also add toffee flavor.
• Unsalted butter. I use melted butter to combine the ingredients faster.
• Chocolate pudding mix to skip add the pudding mix on top of the cake with hot water.
• Eggs for better and softer structure.
• Milk, whole milk, fresh is best but a close substitute is canned milk.
• Vegetable Oil to keep the cake moist.
• Vanilla for flavors, will not be very pronounced but contributes to an overall rounded flavor.
• All-purpose flour. Substitute for gluten-free flour if needed
• Cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder, Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a more bitter taste, or unsweetened cocoa powder for a more chocolatey taste. Cocoa powder must be of good quality because this ingredient determines the taste of the cake.
• Cornstarch helps to thicken the batter.
• Baking powder and salt help the cake batter rise and the salt balances the flavors.

Glaze 

This glaze or sauce has a double load of chocolate flavor.

• Confectioner’s sugar
• Cocoa powder (can use the same as for batter, natural or Dutch cocoa)
• Heavy cream
• Dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips.

Kitchen Equipment

• Bundt pan. Any baking dish or oven-safe skillet with sides at least 2 inches will work.
• Stand mixer fitter with a paddle attachment

How To Make Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

Prepare The Cake Batter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray or lightly grease with butter and coat with a light dusting of flour.  Tap out any excess flour.  Set aside.  
2. Combine the sugar, butter, and pudding mix in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat together with the paddle attachment until smooth. Without the mixer, whisk in a large mixing bowl till combined.
3. Add the eggs to the pudding mixture and mix until combined. 
4. Combine the wet ingredients. Add in the milk, oil, and vanilla – mixing until smooth. Scraping down the sides of the bowl often.  
5. Slowly stir in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.  Mix until combined – scraping the sides often.  

Bake The Cake

1. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.  
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until the center is set. The toothpick test should be mostly clean with a few crumbs.
3. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before gently removing from the pan. 

How To Make The Glaze

1. Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder together in a small bowl.  
2. In another small bowl, combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream.  Heat in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well in between each increment until smooth.  
3. Whisk the melted chocolate with the sugar mixture.  Add in additional cream if needed to thin the glaze.  If the glaze thickens while stirring, reheat in 10-second increments, stirring in between each increment until smooth.  

Decorate And Serve

1. Spread the glaze evenly over the cake.  Allow to set and then slice and serve warm. 
2. You can serve it with cookies and cream or vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, Cool Whip, or pudding sauce (Hershey’s hot fudge chocolate pudding is to die for).
3. Maraschino cherry or fresh berries, chocolate shavings, or bits are great toppings too.
4. Caution: as the cake has some fudgy components once baked, you can easily burn your mouth. Be careful with your first bite.

How To Store Chocolate Pudding Cake

While it is best to eat it fresh within 6-8 hours, the pudding cake can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  

Serve warm, simply reheat in the microwave for up to 30 seconds.

You can make the pudding cake 3 days ahead of time, and store it wrapped in foil or plastic wrap in the fridge without any additional toppings.

You can freeze chocolate pudding cake for 2-3 months. Before serving again, thaw overnight in the fridge.

Variations & Substitutions

• The vanilla version is simple, just add vanilla extract or use boxed vanilla cake mix.
• Coffee flavors. Add instant espresso powder or instant coffee (even decaf) to the cake batter OR pour hot coffee over the cake already layered in the pan. Coffee actually highlights the chocolate flavor.
• A vegan variation uses coconut milk (add delicious flavor), vegan butter, canola oil and skip eggs in the batter.
• To add caramel-ish flavor, use dark or light brown sugar or serve with homemade caramel sauce.
• Flavor add-ons: peanut butter or Nutella, toasted nuts, white chocolate, and marshmallows can go in the batter. Chili powder adds a surprise, it has an acquired taste but who knows, maybe you’ll love it!
• To make it a holiday dessert: use themed sprinkles and toppings.
• Make it Poke Cake: pre-bake the batter, make some holes in the cake, and pour additional prepared pudding over the top before decorating. You don’t need to bake it again, simply chill overnight.
• You can use melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder for the cake too.
• Add chocolate chips for a chocolate chip pudding cake to satisfy those intense chocolate cravings.
• Serve this decadent chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream, maraschino cherries, or hot fudge sauce to make this a chocolate lover’s dream.

How To Make Chocolate Pudding Cake Without Instant Pudding Mix

If you don’t mix the instant pudding in the cake batter, you can layer it over the batter. This is the old-fashioned way to make this recipe. It can technically be done even in the microwave!

1. Prepare the batter as the recipe calls for except adding the pudding mix.
2. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, brown sugar, and white sugar.
4. Coat the batter with this mixture to cover the entire surface evenly. Do not mix.
5. Pour hot water evenly on top over the back of a spoon. Very hot water – boiling water is best, or hot coffee! Do not mix.
6. Bake as instructed.

While baking the top layer will come together as a pudding and will make a perfect hot liquid fudgy sauce for the cake when you serve it.

Tips To Make The Best Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake

• Don’t add too much flour. It often happens when you don’t properly fluff, sift, or measure the flour and simply scoop it with a measuring cup.
• For portion-sized cakes, use ramekins. Do not fill them to the top, leave the space for the cake to rise.
• If you don’t want to make the cake batter from scratch use chocolate cake mix.
• The cake is done when the top is set and it starts to separate from the edges of the pan.
• Baking soda is optional. It gives a crispness to the edges of the cake.
• Use room temperature ingredients.

Popular Questions

What Does Adding Pudding To The Cake Mix Do?

Adding pudding mix to a cake helps to keep it moist and soft, and to add even more flavors.

When using boxed pudding you can significantly simplify the process.

What Is A Substitute For Instant Chocolate Pudding In A Cake?

Homemade pudding mix with white and brown sugar and cocoa is a substitute for instant chocolate pudding mix in the cake. You activate it with hot water.

How To Make Boxed Cake Better?

Add buttermilk (or regular milk, or sour cream), an egg, and more natural extracts like vanilla or almond to make the boxed cake mix taste better and closer to homemade.

How Do You Thicken Instant Pudding For Cake Filling?

Cornstarch and flour are the easiest ways to thicken pudding or cake filling. Using less milk makes instant pudding denser too.

Can You Use Instant Pudding Between Cake Layers?

Technically, you could swap the dry ingredients for the fudge sauce with dry instant pudding mix, but you’ll still need to pour the hot water on top so the fudge seeps into the cake. 

If you love this cake recipe, you’re going to love these other tasty treats made with pudding too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

World’s Best Chocolate Cake

Espresso Chocolate Cake

Black Forest Cake

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

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