Puddin Cakes

These are really called “tea cakes” in the recipe, but I find that to be probably the least descriptive title in the world. It tells you nothing about the intense fudginess and chocolate goodness these cakes have to offer. All I have been able to gather about tea cakes is that in the olden days they were served at tea time – not applicable to my life. So I will call them chocolate puddin cakes from here on out. They remind me of these delicious snacks from Market Day that I ate right out of the freezer for most of my youth. They were so good and now I can make them for myself.

Chocolate Puddin Cake
For the Cake:
1 ¾ c. flour
½ c. cocoa
1 ½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 stick butter at room temperature
1 ½ c. sugar
3 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla
½ boiling water
For the Sauce aka gooey goodness:
2/3 c. chocolate chips
4 T. butter
2 c. confectioners sugar
¾ c. evaporated milk (one of those little jars)
1 t. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 10” loaf pan. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking pwder, baking soda, and salt. In an electric mixer, bear the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time being sure to beat well in between each addition. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. And as much of a pain as that is, it makes cakes fluffier and more tender. Weird baking science stuff. Add in the vanilla and boiling water and stir until just combined. Poor into the loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until done. Remove from the loaf pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack set inside a cookie sheet.

While the cake is baking, make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat. Once the mixture has come to a boil, continue to cook it for five minutes. Add vanilla at the end. Once the cake is finished and on the cooling rack, pierce the top with a fork and slightly pull the cake apart to make lots of cavities for the gooiness to fill. Pour the sauce over the cake slowly, spreading it into the holes with the fork. All the excess can drip down onto the cookie sheet and make clean up much easier. Refrigerate overnight to allow the cake to soak up the sauce. The cake will be best if removed from the fridge about an hour before serving, but needs to be kept in the fridge until demolished.

This cake is so tasty. I love it. Stud took one to his host family for the next month because he enjoyed it so much when my mom sent us home with one a while ago. Yes. Stud the so-called chocolate hater loved this cake. I think the whole him hating chocolate thing is more of him hating something chocolate once upon a time. I have no idea what that was. Or I have converted him to the chocolate lovers team where all the cool kids hangout. Anyways, make this cake. A great dessert for company that you have to make a day ahead of time and therefore have to do nothing the day-of and if you’re really wild and crazy, serve it with some tea. I guess that’s what it’s designed for after all.