Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Mary has been raving about this recipe so I've been anxious to try it. I was not disappointed! There are a lot of dirty bowls after the process, but this is very easy to make. A very special dessert that I even enjoyed for breakfast this morning.

From Cooks Illustrated:

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 1/2 cups water

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used a Hershey's Special Dark Baking Bar)

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I read this wrong and only used 1 tsp!)

1/3 cup whole milk (I used 2% because it's what we had)

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 large egg yolk

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Stir instant coffee into water; set aside to dissolve. Stir together 1/3 cup cocoa, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in small bowl, breaking up large clumps with fingers. Melt butter, remaining 1/3 cup cocoa , and chocolate in small bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (I didn't do this - I just used a small saucepan and kept my complete attention to it to prevent burning); whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk flour and baking powder in small bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk remaining 2/3 cup sugar, vanilla, milk and salt in medium bowl unil combined; whisk in yolk. Add chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is evenly moistened.

Pour batter into prepared baking disk and spread evening to all sides and corners. Sprinkle cocoa/sugar mixture evenly over batter (cocoa mixture should cover entire surface of batter); pour coffee mixture gently over cocoa mixture. Bake until cake is puffed and bubbling and just beginning to pull away from sides of baking dish, about 45 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool cake in dish on wire rack about 25 minutes before serving.

Melting the cocoa, chocolate and butter.

All the bowls of mixtures

Mixing the chocolate into the egg mixture. I thought the colors here are intense and would make a nice photo.

The final product right out of the oven.

Served up with vanilla ice cream!