This week, Ree’s in Orlando, ditching the boots for a pair of flip flops. Right now, she’s either lost in Wally World, hiding in the bathroom, or clutching the bars of some insane ride and crying for her mommy. So we have another special guest filling in for this week’s Tasty Recipe post! Today, missamy takes over with a decadent chocolate dessert that looks almost too good to be true. If you remember Amy from her feature some months back, then you know you’re in for a wild and delicious ride. It’s all yours, Amy!
When I was invited to guest post here I was filled with glee and honored to have been asked to fulfill such a task. Ree rocks the recipe rundown like no other. To try to fill her shoes (or boots) is an undertaking for sure. But I’ll do my best. And today, chocolate is involved, so how can I go wrong? Chocolate always covers a multitude of shortcomings in the kitchen. Burn a roast? Serve a chocolate pie and no one will remember. Running late and all you have on hand is sandwich fixings? Chocolate brownies will make it all better. You get the picture.
So when I saw this recipe, My Granny’s Chocolate Cobbler submitted by Tasty Kitchen member Susan Hawkins, I knew I had to give it a try. Ya know, for y’all. I’m a trooper like that. You can thank me later. Or rather, thank Susan and her Granny for the recipe.
This cobbler reminds of a Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, like the one Ree once shared. But I think it’s a little more ooey gooey with a crispy and crunchy top concealing a moist cake and rich chocolate syrup. Let’s get started and you can see for yourself!
The ingredients are simple. You’ll need flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, brown sugar and hot tap water.
Begin with the flour in a mixing bowl.
Next add the baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa powder and 3/4 of the sugar.
Side note here: I used dark cocoa powder for this recipe, which can be found in most local groceries. I’m a dark chocolate fan. You can certainly use regular cocoa powder, but if you can find it, the dark cocoa powder gives it an extra kick of richness that would make Ree’s skirt fly up. I don’t wear many skirts but I felt a distinct breeze up my pant legs.
Okay, back to the recipe. Mix ingredients well.
Next add the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
Combine well until you have a smooth batter. At this point it looks much like a brownie batter. I suppose, if you wanted, you could stop here and call it day. But Granny has bigger plans for us, so hold your horses.
In an 8 x 8″ or equivalent size casserole or baking dish, evenly spread the chocolate batter and set aside.
Moving right along, in a bowl place the remaining white sugar, the brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
Combine well. The mixture was a little lumpy due to my brown sugar clumping but I just broke apart any large clumps and didn’t worry about the others.
Evenly distribute dry mixture over the chocolate batter.
Now here’s where it gets a little wonky. You may wonder what was Granny thinkin’? I even checked the recipe, concerned I had missed a step. Pour 1 1/2 cups of hot tap water over the whole thing and don’t stir.
Again, don’t stir. Just let it be. It looks kinda wrong, I know, but some kind of Granny magic happens. Trust me. Or rather trust Granny. She knew what she was doing.
Bake in a 350° F oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the center is set.
And here ’tis!
A yummy, chocolatey goodness awaits below that crunchy shell.
All I can say is have some vanilla ice cream on hand because it’s the perfect accompaniment. The cobbler is rich and decadent but not too sweet. Ice cream, whipped cream or a tall glass of milk balances out the richness just fine. Mighty fine indeed.
Just so you know, while I don’t normally cook gluten-free, I did try a gluten-free version just by substituting Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour for the same amount of flour called for in this recipe. It turned out delightful. I took it to a get-together and it was gobbled up by kids and adults alike.
A big thanks to Susan for sharing her granny’s recipe with us all. It’s a keeper for sure!
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Description
This cobbler brings back childhood memories of summer time at my granny’s house. She would make this decadent dessert to go with the homemade vanilla ice cream. I don’t know of anything that melts ice cream better.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- 7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
- 1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
- ½ cups Milk
- ⅓ cups Melted Butter
- 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1-½ cup Hot Tap Water
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.
Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish. I prefer my small oval Corning Ware glass dish.
In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.
Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.
Let stand for a few minutes if you can hold yourself back. Serve with homemade ice cream using the gooey sauce to spoon over all.
_______________________________________
Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She and her husband have two children, and in his eyes, everything she does is perfect. We kinda think so too.
205 Comments
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Sara R on 5.12.2010
This is more commonly known as Chocolate Pudding Cake and is found in many cookbooks. It’s actually a very popular recipe from the 1950’s—and absolutely delicious.
Tracy on 5.12.2010
Guh. I am dumbfounded by how ridiculously delicious that looks. Man, oh man… I will definitely have to give that a try as soon as I physically can. It looks AMAZING!
Alyson on 5.12.2010
My husband’s favourite! I call it chocolate pudding cake (I’m from the Maritimes) and he calls it chocolate fudge pudding (he’s from Liverpool). Whatever it’s called, it’s delicious!
Colleen on 5.12.2010
I’ve made this plenty of times and it’s NEVER left over. If you have a Better Homes and Garden Cook Book (it’s the plaid book) you can find this recipe under “Brownie Pudding”.
Marielys Zayas on 5.12.2010
So, am I getting this correctly? No eggs in this recipe? Can someone please confirm or deny!? …. and oh my my my does it ever look divine.
chocolatesbyselene on 5.12.2010
yes I have seen this also, and I have seen several names on this cake. I just recently purchased Hershey’s “special dark” cocoa, I bet this would be really good make with a dark chocolate cocoa.
Catherine on 5.12.2010
Like some others have posted, I called them self saucing puddings (I’m from Australia), and it was probably one of the first desserts I ever learned to make – we also have other versions for it – lemon, and berry which are also great. But living here in the US I had never seen a recipe for it until now, so I’m grateful!! This will definitely go into heavy rotation at our house!
Niki on 5.12.2010
OMG…this looks amazing!!
Kathy from Canada on 5.12.2010
When i was a kid, here in Canada, we used to be able to buy a cake mix that did this.
Chocolate,
spice
vanill
and lemon were the flavours.
this brings back memories! It was the only cake my mom let me make other than using my easybake oven!
Memoria on 5.12.2010
WOW. WOW. WOW! This cobbler looks too amazing for words. I must try this out.
:D'anne on 5.12.2010
MissAmy, MissAmy, MissAmy! You’ve already nearly sent me into a chocolate coma with your Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake (of which, I made 4 times in 2 months) now you break out this little beaut. Lawd’a’mercy! This will be on my sis-in-law’s graduation BBQ menu this weekend.
Katie Mast on 5.12.2010
I have been making something like this for years as well. Growing up on a farm, this was our number one treat on a summer day. Chocolate is a wonderful friend.
Stacey on 5.12.2010
OMG!
I have been looking for this recipe for a few years. I had one out of a local newspaper and it got lost sometime over the years. I am so happy I found it here.
I am calling my mother now and tell her to break out the cocoa powder.
Mandy on 5.12.2010
My husbands favorite!! He grew up with this recipe and asks for it every year on his birthday. We call it “Poor Man’s Cake.” YUUUUUMM!!!
OneHappyGirl on 5.12.2010
I used to go to an all-girl boarding school, and this was our favorite desert. I’ve been looking for this recipe for years. Even bought a cookbook one class was selling as a fundraiser, only to discover that most of the recipe was accidentally left out!! We called it ‘Mississippi Mud’, and it was served with something called ‘hard sauce’. Anyone have a recipe for ‘hard sauce’?
julie on 5.12.2010
does anyone have a recipe for the lemon version of this?? please email me: mdluca atgmail. Thanks!!
Sammee on 5.12.2010
My first thoughts upon seeing this recipe? ‘OMG I have all the stuff to make this sitting in my kitchen RIGHT NOW!!”
My next thought. Well.. it was less though, more drool, really.. those pictures make your tummy happy.
I can’t wait to try this out. I think I’ll do it… right now. Yes. Right now sounds good.
Karen Eborall on 5.12.2010
Made this tonight – what did i do wrong? Bottom was just a big mess of chocolate colored water. It tasted good, but didn’t look anything like the photos above.
Natalia on 5.12.2010
I just made it! And…my life will never be the same again. It is out of this world delicious and so SIMPLE! Just luv it!
Mary H on 5.12.2010
I used to have a similar recipe but might have lost it. Thanks for posting. I know I used to have one lemmon flavored too. Will have to look for them.
marj on 5.12.2010
I’ve made this before!
It was under another name, and quite as delicious, I’m sure!
Trish on 5.12.2010
OH.MY.GRAVY. That looks amazing. I am going to have to make that asap. And I’ll thank you in advance for increasing the cellulite on my thighs due to this dessert. Oh, Granny…
brandi on 5.12.2010
I love using dark chocolate cocoa powder!
And Cracker Barrel used to have a chocolate cobbler on their menu that my family LOVED. This looks just like it. I may need to try to it, just to see how it compares.
Patty on 5.12.2010
This was my grandma’s favorite dessert, I found it in a Hershey’s cookbook. She would always ask for “that chocolate dessert you make”
Serving it with ice cream is the best! So hungry now!
Kathy @ The Sugar Queen on 5.12.2010
This looks fantastic!
Mary in NC on 5.12.2010
I’ve made this for years. My then sister-in-law gave me this recipe back in he `70’s, called it Denver Chocolate Pudding. Then I found it in an edition of a Fanny Farmer cookbook. When that copy fell apart from use, I bought a new edition. The recipe was not there. Thank goodness I still have my SIL’s. It’s always been a hit wherever/whenever I serve it. And the whole pouring-water-over-the-top thing is nothing if not MAGIC!!
Sherry Martin on 5.12.2010
My Mother made something similar in a cake pan. When it was cut she inverted it on the plate and called it Chocolate Upside Down Cake. mmmm… easy and yummy!
Janell Bontekoe on 5.12.2010
I have this recipe from my husband’s grandmother also. We LOVE this recipe.
Courtney on 5.12.2010
THANK YOU, Granny, Susan, and Amy!!!!!! Yum!
Charlene on 5.12.2010
Amy you are the awesomest for footnoting the GF modification. This looks beyond delicious and I can’t wait to make it.
Dawn Knight on 5.12.2010
I make this but I leave the cocoa out of the sponge part so it is a sort of Chocolate/vanilla cobbler. It is fantastic and just as good cold -IF there is any left to go cold. I serve it with Tip Top which gives just the right balance of flavours and textures – this is one seriously good dessert.
VeggieGirl on 5.12.2010
Looks delish. Do you think I could make it with whole wheat pastry flour? Also, I don’t have any baking powder. Any subs?
DeviantAuthor on 5.12.2010
I must be missing something. There are no proportions for the ingredients or else I’m missing out on where they are. =(
sadi on 5.12.2010
Can you serve this after it is cooled? Will it still be melty (for lack of a better word!) in the middle?
This looks like heaven in a dish, mmmmmm! Thanks.
everellie on 5.12.2010
I would like to thank you for the gluten free footnote. I’ve been doing some great recipes lately and winging the gfree substitutions. I’ve got Bob’s. I will make this. And my husband and children will call me blessed.
Kimber on 5.12.2010
So I told myself. “You don’t have all the ingredients for this, you CAN NOT make it right now.” So I sat here looking at the picture for a few more minutes and decided it wouldn’t hurt to look and see if I had all the ingredients….
It’s in the oven right now…….
Laurie on 5.12.2010
Around here it is called either “Hot Fudge Cake” or “Brownie Pudding”
BritnieAnn on 5.12.2010
HEAVEN!! This sweets craving pregnant woman will def be trying this soon. YES. Thank you!!
Katy on 5.12.2010
Um…wow. I’m so mad at you right now. I am 100% incapable of not making this tonight. Now I have to brave our late-spring snow storm to go get vanilla ice cream to go with it. How dare you post something so ludicrously fantastically delicious looking!
WestsWife on 5.12.2010
Oh my. Oh my. OH MY! That’s all I have to say. I think the best part of this recipe is that it is AMAZING and made from ingredients I always have on hand. (My husband has this thing for brownies… if I run out of cocoa powder his face turns red and you’d swear there’s steam coming out of his ears! …Seriously!)
dorisr on 5.12.2010
AKA – my mom’s “chocolate pudding cake.” The recipe has been in our family for more than 50 years or so. It also became my son’s favorite birthday cake, to be served only with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream! However, when served warm, it is a little hard to get birthday candles to stand up in it!
Vikki15’s idea of putting powered coffee/liquid coffee in it sounds wonderful!
Elizabeth in Modesto, CA on 5.12.2010
Amy, the part about feeling a breeze up your pant legs was hilarious!!!
Celina on 5.12.2010
oh my word. must. make. right. now.
all i have on hand is dutch processed cocoa powder – will it still work?
Chaney D. on 5.12.2010
My Step-Daughter comes to visit us on Wednesday nights so I always try to make something special. It’s the one night I make a fun or even fancy dessert. It will be this along with PW’s Chicken Parm tonight – hope they like it!
Barbara Rocha on 5.12.2010
This is exactly my Nana’s treat – I have burnt my mouth on it far to many times to count. I can’t wait until its cooled enough to eat.
I am inspired and chilly here – so off to the kitchen to bake! YeeHaw
inks4fun on 5.12.2010
My mother made this all the time, we called it Chocolate Pudding Cake. It is a great go to recipe for a last minute dessert, most likely you will have all the ingredients on hand. It can be baking in the oven while the family is having dinner.
Holly on 5.12.2010
I’ve made this for years and eveyone I know loves it! It ‘s wonderful! We call it Hot Fudge Cake in Arkansas.
Sarah on 5.12.2010
Thats the Hot Fudge Pudding Cake recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook.
Merideth on 5.12.2010
Oh. My. GOSH! I think I might have to make this .. like, now! This is a pregnant chocoholics DREAM! OH YUM YUM YUM!
Jenni on 5.12.2010
Looks a lot like my dad’s Upside Down Chocolate Pudding…..delish!