Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

This family favourite classic chocolate self-saucing pudding has a soft cakey pudding surrounded with a thick and rich, gooey sauce and is ready to eat in just 45 minutes. This version is made dairy free and is perfect for cosy winter evenings.

Lately on the blog I have loved sharing the classic dessert recipes that I grew up with. We started with my childhood favourite cinnamon tea cake, and then moved onto an easy, one bowl, egg free chocolate cake, and today we are talking about the ultimate winter dessert with a chocolate self-saucing pudding.

This is the traditional recipe that I grew up eating. It produces a soft, cakey pudding under a lightly crispy top, and a thick, gooey chocolate sauce. That is just the way this dessert is meant to be. Serve it up with a big spoon straight out of the oven and top with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream (or cream if you are going full old-fashioned).

This recipe is one of the early ones I remember making with Mum. I had the recipe typed out in the little cookbook I made and I baked it every chance I got. Unfortunately that little cookbook is long gone, but this recipe has survived and has travelled with me over the years.

I make this pudding whenever I need a delicious, quick and cozy dessert. In just 45 minutes you can turn pantry ingredients into something wonderful and for that, I will always love this recipe.

This is a classic, old fashioned recipe and I’ve left it exactly as that. The only difference with this version to the one of my childhood is that I replace the butter and milk with dairy-free options to suit my allergy. You can do the same, or make it with regular milk and butter – it’s completely up to you and it’s going to be delicious whichever way you choose to go.

It is a no fuss, simple dessert. This is the perfect for beginner bakers and you probably already have everything you need in your pantry.

Key Ingredients

This recipe uses pantry staples making so there really should only be time between you and this delicious dessert.

• Dairy-free butter – I always use Nuttelex but you can use any dairy free buttery spread.
• Egg – helps bind the cake and keep it soft. I’ve not tried this recipe with any egg replacers.
• Vanilla – always make sure to use vanilla extract not essence for the best flavour.
• White sugar – for both the cake and for the topping that is going to help create your sauce.
• Dairy-free milk – you can use any dairy free milk in this recipe, I’ve used soy milk, oat milk and almond milk all with good results.
• Cocoa powder – for that deep chocolate flavour make sure to use a good quality cocoa powder.
• Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
• Baking powder – gives the cake rise and keeps the texture soft and light.

How to make chocolate self-saucing pudding

Start by mixing up all the pudding ingredients into a thick batter. No fancy equipment needed, just a bowl and a whisk.

Next comes the magic that makes the sauce. Sprinkle a mixture of sugar and cocoa powder over the top of the batter. Then, pour over the hot water. The trick here is to pour the hot water over the back of a metal spoon.

This might seem a little silly but the reason is to evenly disperse the water and prevent the pour of the water from creating divots in the top of the pudding so you are left with a nice flat top.

That is really all there is to it! Bake until the top is firm but it is kind of jiggly which means that gooey sauce has formed underneath.

This pudding is best served straight away however it does make a lot so any leftovers can be kept in the fridge. Give it a quick warm up in the microwave to serve again. The amount of sauce will have reduced but it will still taste delicious!

This pudding is easy enough for midweek but also a total crowd pleaser and perfect to serve at a dinner party. It’s a back pocket recipe that you’ll want to make again and again.

More winter desserts:

Vegan Sticky Date Pudding With Caramel Sauce
Chocolate Lava Cakes
No-Bake Chocolate Tart (Vegan)

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

This family favourite classic chocolate self-saucing pudding has a soft cakey pudding surrounded with a thick and rich, gooey sauce and is ready to eat in just 45 minutes. This version is made dairy free and is perfect for cosy winter evenings.

4.43 from 7 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Australian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6 serves

Author: Sally

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Ingredients

For the pudding:

• ¼ cup (60 grams) dairy-free butter melted
• 1 egg room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup dairy-free milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the sauce:

• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 ½ cups hot water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg and vanilla until just frothy. Add in the sugar and continue to whisk. Finally add in the dairy-free milk and continue to whisk until combined.
• Sift the cocoa powder, plain flour and baking powder directly into the bowl and whisk until the batter is thick.
• Pour the batter into an oven proof casserole dish. Mix the extra sugar and cocoa powder together and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Pour the hot water over the top by pouring it over the back of a metal spoon and place the pudding in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cake top is lightly spongy.
• Serve the pudding while still warm with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries.

Notes

I use Nuttelex to replace butter in most of my recipes as it is vegan and gives a ‘buttery’ flavour without being greasy. As this is an Australian product, the closest US alternative I believe is Earth Balance. Otherwise any dairy-free spread will work.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

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Not fom Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide