Pumpkin Hot Fudge Pudding Cake – this easy pumpkin cake recipe starts with a cake mix and is filled with hot fudge pudding. This is the perfect fall dessert!
I know that this cake is SO GOOD. You know why? Because I ate half of it.
Last weekend at this time I was saying goodbye to my BFFs in San Francisco. I came home and the week just fell apart from there. Why does the universe do that?
To sum up my week in one sentence, it would be this: a friend of Jordan's got lice. If you've read about my anxiety you'll understand why that threw my week into a tailspin. Not only that, but her friend was supposed to sleep over this weekend, so I was dealing with anxiety AND tween tears.
Tween tears, if you've never dealt with them, are not normal tears, FYI.
I made this cake and the next day we got the news. I haven't had a full panic attack (a real and true one) since I started my meds. This one was muted, because of the medication, but after it ran through it's cycle I had a salad for lunch, half a cake for dessert (I'm not exaggerating) and then I wanted to sleep for the rest of the day.
Anyway, that's how I know this cake is delicious. It's soft and has tons of pumpkin flavor, plus the hot fudge pudding adds a little extra yumminess. Also, because it doesn't have a traditional frosting it goes down so easy.
So far, we're clear of the little suckers. They're checking them at school because on Monday Jordan and the entire 6th grade leave for week-long science camp. They bunk together without their parents for 5 days…pretty much I'm going to burn everything she brings with her. It's going to be like a 5 day infestation of something, I'm sure. Lice, colds, the flu – it's like germ roulette. What will they come home with?
I think I'll need lots of cake to get me through.
The magic of this cake happens in the oven. The cake is a basic pumpkin cake recipe that starts with a cake mix. Then you pour a hot water/cocoa/sugar mixture on top. It's very liquid and you don't see how it's going to turn into anything edible…but it does. In the oven the cocoa mixture cooks down through the cake and ends up on the bottom of the pan as a thick fudgy pudding.
The combination of the chocolate and the pumpkin is absolutely perfect.
It's the perfect cake for a holiday dinner, a potluck, or a stressful day. (I should know.)
Pumpkin Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Yield: 10-12 servings
Total Time: 1 hour
Pumpkin Hot Fudge Pudding Cake - this easy pumpkin cake recipe starts with a cake mix and is filled with hot fudge pudding. This is the perfect fall dessert!
Ingredients:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13" pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place cake mix, pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup water, oil, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
- Add cocoa, vanilla, and granulated sugar to the boiling water and whisk until dissovled. Pour carefully over cake in pan - do not mix.
- Bake for 25-32 minutes or JUST until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Cool slightly before serving.
- Best served warm plain or with ice cream. Will last covered on the counter for up to 3 days. The hot fudge pudding sinks to the bottom so the top will not look frosted.
Sweets from friends:
Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake by Two Peas and Their Pod
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake by Buns In My Oven
Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding by The Gunny Sack
