When I ran across this chocolate cake recipe, I knew I had to try it. The directions are so odd. You pour hot water all over the cake and then put it in the oven? Weird. It was actually a fun snow day activity for the girls and me. The cake was super easy to throw together, and amazingly good to boot! The recipe calls for semisweet chocolate chips, but the kids found it not quite sweet enough. So I’d suggest using milk chocolate chips or a chopped up Hershey bar. I liked it bittersweet, especially with the sweetened whipped cream, but kids have a different palate.
After the cake bakes, the top layer is a dark chocolate, very moist cake. Underneath is a creamy pudding. You need to wait a little bit after it comes out of the oven, but it doesn’t have to cool completely. When you serve it, invert each serving so the pudding is on the top. The cool whipped cream or ice cream will complement the chocolate perfectly
This cake comes together so quickly with ingredients you probably already have (check out the buttermilk note at the bottom) so you can make it tonight!
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or semisweet)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups boiling water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
In the microwave, melt the butter and baking chocolate together. Melt for about 20-30 seconds and then stir until the chocolate melts.
Next, heat the buttermilk for about 30 seconds in the microwave, just to warm it a bit. Don’t let it boil.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 cup of the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to remove any lumps. This is a great job for a little one, especially if your brown sugar is lumpy!
Pour melted chocolate and butter, buttermilk, and vanilla into the dry ingredients. Stir until combined, and then add the chocolate chips. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
Combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups brown sugar with the unsweetened cocoa powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the batter.
This is where it gets weird. Pour the boiling water over the batter. It looks just like this when you put it in the oven. Water-y chocolate? I promise it will be fine.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the center feels firm. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
*Buttermilk substitute: Combine one cup milk and one tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
