One of my fond memories of childhood is of enjoying a yummy chocolate dessert my mother would serve after dinner on dark and rainy winter evenings. It came to the table warm, all chocolate cake on top and gooey chocolate sauce on the bottom. We topped it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and eat it with a spoon.
I recently discovered several recipes that appear to be what I remember. It is a particular type of dessert called a pudding cake, and there are many types – date nut, raspberry, orange, chocolate. I prepared the chocolate version for my family, making adaptations to fit my memories; my husband and the family epicure, David, declared it terrific; our son Nick agreed, and now it is on our short keeper list. This recipe is easy to bake and serve at home, and it’s also easy to make into a packaged mix for a gift.
Ingredients:
Cake mix
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
Topping mix
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
Nuts
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
When creating this as a gift, I placed the cake and topping mixes in small envelopes together with the almonds into a tin-tie bag. On the back, I included a text label with instructions on how to prepare the mix:
Remove envelopes from bag, pour contents of bag into bowl. Add 1/2 cup milk, stir, pour into buttered 9″ pie pan. Sprinkle topping mix over batter, then pour 1 cup hot water over it. Top with chopped almonds. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, and drizzle with warmed raspberry jam.
Helpful Links
- Holiday Labels • I chose the “Deck the Halls” style in Sage.
- Tin-Tie Bags
More homemade gift ideas by Jeanne…
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• Holiday Labels
• Holiday Gift Tags
• Holiday Coasters
• Holiday CD/DVD Labels
• Holiday Note Cards
• Holiday Address Labels
• Entire Holiday Collection
Jeanne and her husband David launched My Own Labels in January of 2000. It was a spin-off of their successful graphic design firm, plus it allowed Jeanne to incorporate her love of baking, making, sewing and creating. Today David and Jeanne continue to be the heart of the operation both creatively and practically.
