When it comes to desserts in my household, there’s no compromise—I always make sure to have something sweet on hand, whether it’s a simple piece of dark chocolate or a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. However, when I have guests over for dinner, I prefer not to reveal my personal stash of chocolate bars for dessert.
That’s why I’ve recently discovered a microwave pudding cake recipe by Samantha Seneviratne that has captured my heart. Pudding cakes are truly magical creations. By layering the cake ingredients and then pouring boiling water over them before baking, you end up with a dessert that has a cake-like texture on top and a luxurious, warm pudding beneath. And the best part? Making this type of cake in just minutes in the microwave will completely amaze you.
Here’s how to create a showstopping dessert for your next dinner party. You can find the recipe for Samantha Seneviratne’s Microwave Chocolate Pudding Cake on the New York Times Cooking website or in the description of this NYT Cooking Video on YouTube.
To begin, melt butter in a microwave-safe dish. It’s recommended to use a small 1.5 to 2-quart dish, but the shape doesn’t matter—square or round will do just fine. A glass or ceramic pie dish works well for this. Mix a generous amount of brown sugar into the melted butter, followed by milk, vanilla extract, and optional instant coffee. Yes, you read that right—we’re mixing the cake batter right in the cooking dish.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the milk mixture. Top the cake batter with a mixture of brown sugar, cocoa, and salt. Just before microwaving, pour boiling water over the entire concoction without stirring.
Cook the cake in the microwave for five to seven minutes, checking for doneness as needed. The cake will rise with a spongy layer on top and a pudding layer underneath.
Here are some tips for making this Microwave Chocolate Pudding Cake even more efficiently: Use a kitchen scale, two bowls, and a measuring cup to minimize the number of dishes you dirty. Weigh the first portion of brown sugar into a small bowl, measure the milk into a one-cup liquid measure, and add the vanilla extract and instant coffee, if desired. Measure the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and then reuse the small bowl to prepare the brown sugar-cocoa mixture and the liquid measuring cup for the boiling water.
The longer you cook the pudding cake, the more cake-like it will be, and vice versa for a more pudding-like texture. Serving this warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream adds a touch of decadence and elegance, all in under 10 minutes.
For the full recipe, check out Samantha Seneviratne’s Microwave Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe on Simply Recipes.
