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I really love individual cakes, especially chocolate ones that are super easy like these gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding cakes. They're not an American sort of thing, but they're something I've had my eye on forever.
I baked them in little Weck canning jars, but they would be beautiful in little white ramekins or ceramic mugs. The cake itself is rather light and fluffy, and the self-saucing bit means that at the top and the bottom, they, well, make their own chocolate sauce.
It's not the same as a chocolate lava cake, since those are almost fudge-like in the center. These are a bit lighter.
They come together super easy, since all you do is make a simple batter in a single bowl, and pour boiling water over the tops. The original recipe calls for sprinkling the tops of the individual cakes with cocoa powder and brown sugar, and then pouring the water on top.
I prefer to whisk the cocoa powder and brown sugar into the boiling water, and then pour the whole mixture on top of the cakes. It makes for a much smoother, richer sauce.
This is the mini gluten free chocolate cake you throw together with simple, everyday gluten free pantry ingredients (there's not even any solid chocolate to melt!) when you just want something simple and rich. Plus, this one's beautiful enough to serve to guests, even guests you want to impress.
Self-Saucing Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 g) gum-free gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (25 g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, divided
- 11 tablespoons (150 g) packed light brown sugar, divided
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) milk, or heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) boiling water
- Whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease 4 small oven-safe ramekins, mugs or canning jars (I used 4.5 ounce Weck jars) with a capacity of at least 1 cup. Set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 3 tablespoons (15 g) of the cocoa powder, and whisk to combine well. Add 6 tablespoons (80 g) of the brown sugar, and whisk to combine well again, working out any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter, egg, vanilla and milk or cream, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter will be light and fluffy, and scoopable (not pourable).
- Divide the batter evenly among the 4 prepared baking dishes.
- To the boiling water, add the remaining 2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder and 5 tablespoons (70 g) brown sugar, and whisk to combine well. Pour the hot liquid evenly over the tops of the baking dishes, dividing it evenly among them.
- Place the baking dishes on a rimmed baking sheet, about 2 inches apart from one another, and place in the center of the preheated oven.
- Bake until just set on top (about 13 minutes).
- Serve warm, each with a dollop of whipped cream and a light sprinkling of chocolate shavings.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just wondering if anyone has used Ultratex3 in the tortilla recipe in Bakes Bread Coookbook? I am about to make but have no idea how much to use. Unless I’m mistaken, the ratios in #6 of the Q&A apply to the Bread Flour recipe. The tortilla’s don’t call for Bread flour…
I have not, Anita. I recommend that you follow the suggestion in the recipe ingredients in this post for Gluten Free Wonton Wrappers. Ultratex 3 is approximately 3 times as strong as Expandex, so I recommend cutting the amount of Expandex down to 1/3, and making up the rest of the weight of Expandex with more all purpose gluten free flour.
I followed the recipe exactly, using Bob’s all purpose gluten flour, half and half, Dutch processed cocoa. My batter was easily pourable. 3/4 of my finished cup was liquidy…not pudding consistency, and I personally thought the chocolate flavor was bitter. (My chocolate loving husband suggested we toss it…that never happens. Normally I love all the recipes of yours, so I assume I erred somewhere, but no idea where. Suggestions? (Maybe I just don’t like the flavor of Dutch chocolate? How is that different from the dark brown Hershey’s baking cocoa container?
Mine turned out pourable as well, and I used the linked flour blend. I also bake by weights so I’m certain I followed the recipe exactly.
So sorry it turned out that way for you, Jess. That must have been frustrating.Typically if you include the right ingredients in the right amounts but you do not have a good experience with a baking recipe, the issue is that temperature of your ingredients is not as directed. I hope the next time you try the recipe it goes much better because it is a tested recipe and will work.
You cannot use Bob’s flour blend in my recipes successfully, cookie. It is not an all purpose gluten free flour, as I explain in my FAQs. It is a bean flour blend, and is not a true all purpose gluten free flour.
can you use coconut milk?? for regular pudding ..it does not thicken :(
You’ll have to experiment, Karen!
Try adding a bit of replacement egg substitute 2 Tbsp (or cornstarch) to thicken. make sure to use can coconut milk instead of cartons.
Hey Nicole, have you thought about doing this with sticky toffee pudding? I don’t like chocolate so much… How could I modify this for that??
Toffee pudding is similar in concept, Ligea, but it has different proportions. If you don’t like chocolate, I’d skip this recipe. sorry!
What do you think would be the effect if I used Better Batter (has gum)?
I was wondering the same thing, since BB has gum in it. What say you, Nicole?
I tried it with Better Batter. It’s gummy and thick. I really don’t care for it at all. Sorry!
I tried to make my family version of this, simply substituting BB for the wheat flour, and found the same thing. It’s good to know that’s where I went wrong.
Yay!!!!! I had mentioned this in a post ages ago, so glad you took it to heart! Or maybe you didn’t, but I’ll pretend you did :) Can’t wait to try it!
Yay, Robyn!
Would it be okay to use natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch processed? I cant find Dutch processed at my local grocery stores and i have yet to order it…
I think it would be fine, Anna, but you’ll have to experiment!
Seriously, your Pinterest board is brilliant and your readers are awfully lucky that you go that extra step to take a look at what THEY want you to post. These little cakes are killing me. I’m a sucker for the individual chocolate cakes with molten sauce.
Thanks, Mel! You’re a good pal. :)
I have a recipe that has been in our family for over 100 years that is similar to this. “Aunt Martha’s Baked Chocolate Pudding” is everyone’s favorite dessert. I haven’t made it since becoming GF. I think it’s time to get out the recipe, compare it to this one and give it a try! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
Wow, Jean. That’s a long history for a dessert! Hope this one stacks up. :)
Making these tomorrow, thanks as always Nicole! We started the day with your Oatmeal Breakfast cookies which were a huge hit. I wasn’t having to bribe my almost-12-year-old to eat a few more bites of breakfast like I do most school days! Two questions – is doubling okay, and by cream do you mean half and half or whipping cream?
Doubling is encouraged, Linda! I mean heavy whipping cream. The real deal! But you could use half and half instead, since even milk will work. So glad you love the breakfast cookies and that they’re helping to make your school morning a bit easier. I know the value of that!
Whipping cream it is! We always seem to have some in the house these days, ever since your no-bake cheesecake topped brownies have become our specialty. My daughter got $25 for a batch of them for a charity auction at church last week! :)