I first heard of and tasted a self-saucing pudding in Australia which is where I think it originated. The concept is simple. Essentially, it’s a basic cake batter that’s topped with a combination of sugar and hot water. As the cake bakes, this topping magically turns into a sort of caramel sauce and sinks to the bottom. When you dig in, you’re rewarded with a moist, gooey pudding. Unbelievable! I decided to spike the sauce with a little whiskey for a boozy kick. Optional but oh so recommended! Also, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream is definitely not optional.
I hadn’t thought of a self-saucing pudding in years, but on a whim, I decided to try one for the blog. The first time I made these, I split the batter between two ramekins but they rose much taller than I’d expected and I had a lot of leftover topping because the ramekins could only hold so much. I wound up using that as a second sauce on top, which tasted great but sort of defeated the purpose of having a gooey sauce at the bottom. Plus, the cakes ended up a little dry. So after much contemplating whether to share it that way or not, I redid the whole thing in three ramekins and it worked out great! They make cute little individual servings, although feel free to bake this in one larger dish as well.
The recipe is based off one by Matt Preston of Masterchef Australia fame. I halved it to make a smaller amount and tinkered with the sauce for that extra boozy flavour. The batter comes together in no time and in one bowl, so yay! The topping is just a mixture of cocoa powder and sugar, then you pour boiling water all over it and stick the puddings in the oven.
Make sure you’re eating these warm! That’s the whole point of a self-saucing pudding and the reason this is a smaller recipe so you’re not worrying about leftovers. While you can certainly store these in the fridge and reheat as needed, they’re tastiest when fresh.
I hope you’ll try these soon!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Chocolate & Whiskey Self-Saucing Puddings
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 30 gms butter, melted but not hot
- 1/4 cup milk (60 ml)
- 1 egg (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 gms)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (60 gms)
- 1/8 cup cocoa powder (10 gms; I prefer Dutch-process cocoa here)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
For the topping
- 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 gms)
- 1/8 cup cocoa (10 gms)
- 1/2 cup freshly boiled water (125 ml)
- 3 tbsps whiskey or dark rum, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 170 C. Grease three ramekins that are at least 2 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide.
- Combine the melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Stir well till combined.
- Stir in the sugar, then sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, if using.
- Fold gently to combine and remove any lumps. Divide the batter equally among the ramekins.
- Now make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in all three ramekins. Stir together the hot water and whiskey, then pour into the ramekins, dividing the liquid equally among all three. Don't worry if it reaches the top of the ramekins, it will get absorbed.
- Place the ramekins on a baking tray (line it with baking paper or a silicone mat first because the sauce might ooze onto the tray) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the center of each pudding comes out clean, or only with a few moist crumbs. You'll see the sauce bubbling at the sides and if the puddings seem to have risen a bit, don't worry, they'll sink as they cool.
- When the puddings are out of the oven, let them stand for a few minutes, then serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream! Best eaten fresh, but you can keep them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, reheating as needed. Happy baking 🙂
Notes
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