Individual Mocha Pudding Cakes

A pudding cake – also known as a self-saucing pudding – is a cake that bakes into two distinct layers: a fluffy cake and a rich, flavorful sauce to go with it. It’s almost like two desserts in one! These Individual Mocha Pudding Cakes are perfect for coffee-lovers like myself and are an excellent way to end a meal. The cakes are easy to assemble – imagine a much more straightforward chocolate lava cake – and always a hit when they are served.

The cake batter is a thick batter made with self rising flour and flavored with instant coffee and cocoa powder to capture the mocha flavor we want. Instant espresso will give you a more intense flavor than regular instant coffee, and I like working with Starbucks Via, which is even easier to dissolve in liquids in recipes. The batter is not overly sweet on its own, as the sauce component of this cake is fairly sweet.

The sauce is made with water, brown sugar, instant coffee and cocoa powder, along with a splash of vanilla to round out those mocha notes. It is quite thin and will probably remind you of the chocolate sauce you might have used to make chocolate milk as a child. The cake batter is divided into individual ramekins and spread into an even layer, then the hot mocha sauce is poured on top. As the cakes bake, the sauce and cake will switch places in the ramekins, yielding cakes that have a fluffy, tender cake topping and a flavorful sauce below.

You’ll get a great mocha flavor from these cakes, as you’ll really be able to taste the coffee alongside the cocoa powder. They have just the right amount of sweetness and a lovely, light texture. They’re good on their own, but I prefer to serve them with a small dollop of whipped cream on top. A scoop of vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream would be a nice finishing touch, as well. The cakes may sink slightly in the oven, but, unlike cupcakes, don’t worry if they do because it won’t make a bit of difference in the finished dessert. Serve them warm, but give them 5-10 minutes to cool so your guests don’t burn their tongues when digging in.

Individual Mocha Pudding Cakes
Cake
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Sauce
2/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Take out 4 1-cup ramekins and place on baking sheet.
Make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, cocoa powder, instant coffee and vanilla extract. Pour butter mixture and milk in with the flour mixture and whisk until batter comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Divide evenly into prepared ramekins.
Make the sauce: In a large measuring cup, combine water, sugar, instant coffee, cocoa powder and vanilla and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Divide sauce evenly over ramekins, adding approximately 1/4 cup to each ramekin. Do not stir.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cakes are set on the top and spring back when lightly pressed. Allow cakes to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

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