Brownie Pudding Cake

Name: Brownie Pudding Cake
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 0.67 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 0.75 tsp double-acting baking powder; 0.75 tsp salt; 2 large eggs; 1 cup granulated sugar; 0.75 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 0.5 cup milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 0.5 cup chopped walnuts; 0.75 cup firmly packed light brown sugar; 1.33 cup boiling water; 1 coffee ice cream

From the kitchen of Carly

A rich chocolate cake that bakes over a cocoa-brown sugar mixture, creating its own fudgy sauce as it cooks. Topped with walnuts, it's warm, intensely chocolatey, and requires nothing more than a spoon to eat it straight from the pan.

A magic trick in a square pan: pour liquid cocoa and brown sugar over chocolate batter, then bake. The topping sinks and becomes a glossy, molten sauce while a dense brownie cake forms on top. One pan yields two textures, two temperatures, one perfect excuse to scoop vanilla ice cream on warm chocolate.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1 cupall-purpose flour
2/3 cupunsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tspdouble-acting baking powder
3/4 tspsalt
2 largeeggs
1 cupgranulated sugar
3/4 stickunsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cupmilk
1 tspvanilla extract
1/2 cupchopped walnuts
3/4 cupfirmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/3 cupboiling water
1coffee ice cream

Instructions

Set the oven to 350°F. Sift the flour, 1/3 cup of the cocoa powder, the baking powder, and the salt together into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth, then fold in the flour mixture and stir just until the batter comes together. Scatter in the walnuts and spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 8-inch-square baking pan. Whisk the remaining 1/3 cup cocoa powder, the brown sugar, and the boiling water together in another bowl until combined, then pour the whole thing over the batter. Slide the pan onto the middle rack and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a tester pulled from the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it.
Scoop the cake while it is still hot and serve alongside coffee ice cream.

Tips from the kitchen

Whisk the topping mixture separately and pour it directly over the batter without stirring, so it stays concentrated and pools underneath as it bakes.
Pull the cake at the 35-minute mark if you like it fudgier, or go to 40 if you prefer the brownie layer more set. The tester will always show crumbs either way.
Serve it warm straight from the oven. Cold brownie pudding cake is still good but loses the magic of that warm sauce and melting ice cream.

Variations

Skip the walnuts and use 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or pistachios for a different crunch and flavor.
Stir 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder into the boiling water before whisking it with the cocoa and brown sugar for deeper chocolate notes.
Serve with whipped cream or crème fraîche instead of ice cream if you want something rich but not cold.
Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the boiling water mixture for a subtle heat that wakes up the chocolate.

Make ahead and storage

Store leftovers in the baking pan, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes before serving. Freezing is not recommended, as the sauce separates and the texture suffers.