Mocha Pudding Cake--Quick and Easy

We here in the Pacific Northwest have been through the wringer. In two days' time we got over a foot of snow, which was followed by an ice storm. Many of us have been without electricity for more than a day--in fact, one of my sons is out in the elements working on a line crew, helping to restore power to thousands. Linemen are a brave, intrepid lot, and if you see them near your home, offer to bring them a healthy snack and something hot to drink. They might really appreciate it as they work long, arduous hours during storms such as this. And this mom would be grateful!

Now, on to the main event: food.

I'm sharing with you today a quick and easy recipe for Mocha Pudding Cake. The recipe bakes in an 8 x 8-inch pan, but don't let that smaller size pan fool you. This pudding cake is very rich, and when you serve it with vanilla ice cream or a generous dollop of sweetened whipped cream, it's a filling and satisfying dessert for six people no problem.

Here's a picture of it right out of the oven:

 

No pudding, you say?

It's on the bottom! Here's a picture of it plated up and suddenly looking quite gooey...with whipped cream because I didn't have any ice cream and wasn't going to try to get to the store with the snow-covered roads making travel difficult:

And now, the recipe...which, by the way, will be in my Amish Baking Cookbook, due out around September 1st of this year:

Mocha Pudding Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
1 1/2 T. instant coffee granules
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
3 T. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Combine the flour, 2/3 cup of the sugar, 1/4 cup of the unsweetened cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Combine milk, oil, and vanilla and add to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended. (The batter will be very thick...you might want to use a large spoon to mix.)

Spoon batter into a greased 8 x 8=inch pan. Combine 1/3 cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Sprinkle over batter. Pour boiling water over batter. DO NOT STIR!

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

This cake is best eaten fresh because the pudding sort of disappears if it sits too long. But it's still good even the next day!



I hope you are staying warm and dry. And if you have power, thank a lineman today!

May God richly bless you and yours,
Georgia