Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake is perfect for a summer chocolate fix. No matter what time of the year I love chocolate. This cake goes together in minutes after the ingredients are assembled. It uses a bowl and a whisk as well as a few measuring tools.
This, like every pudding cake, is made in two layers. The cakey part of this Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake is on the bottom. The second layer consists of dry ingredients sprinkled over the cake portion. Very hot or boiling water, mixed with a few more ingredients is poured over the dry ingredients and when baked, forms the sauce. It’s almost like magic.
I decided to put it into a pretty pie plate I had because I thought it would make a good picture. What it made is a bit of a mess as the sauce bubbled out of the plate. It was a good thing I put it in a rimmed baking sheet since I was afraid this would happen. If you use a 9x2 inch round cake pan, I don’t think you will have this problem, but I suggest you put it on a baking sheet just in case. I can’t imagine trying to get this off the oven floor!
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While this Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake is great served warm out of the oven, it is even better with a scoop of ice cream. Let it melt just a bit to make a second sauce.
If you have leftovers they can be stored at room temperature for several days. But warm the servings briefly in the microwave before serving.
Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake
First Layer
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (120 grams or 4 ¼ ounces)
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams or 5 ¼ ounces)
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup Dutch cocoa, sifted (30 grams or 1 ounce)
¾ teaspoon instant coffee
2 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
Zest of 1 large orange
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x2” round cake pan and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa in a medium-size bowl.
Set aside.
Dissolve the coffee in the vanilla then combine the remaining ingredients. 
Pour over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. 
Pour into the prepared pan.
Second Layer of Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake
2 teaspoon instant coffee
1 ¼ cup very hot or boiling water
¼ cup orange liqueur*
½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams or 3 ½ ounces)
¼ cup brown sugar (50 grams or 1 ¾ ounces)
¼ cup Dutch cocoa, sifted (21 grams or ¾ ounce)
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream
*While the orange liqueur intensifies the flavor if you wish to omit it use 1 ½ cups hot or boiling water.
Dissolve the instant coffee in the water. Add the orange liqueur if using. Set aside.
Combine the sugars and cocoa. 
Sprinkle them over the cake batter in the pan. Place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
Pour the hot liquid over the sugar mixture. DO NOT STIR OR OTHER INCORPORATE.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the cake is set and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. The sauce will thicken as it sits. As you can see in the photo, it is a good thing is was in another pan.
Let cool until warm. Spoon into dishes making sure sauce is on each portion. Serve the Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might want to take a look at:
Lemon Raspberry Pudding Cake
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailey's Sauce
Caramel Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae
Cheryl says
Hi can I cut the sugar by 1/4 or 1/2 to make it less sweet? I really do not like overtly sweet cake and I find most recipes to be very sweet.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Cheryl, of course you can but I don't know if it will effect the outcome because I haven't done it. I would cut it less to start with.
Elle says
Helen, This sounds delicious. I’d prefer to make it in custard cups. Any thoughts on how much of each component to put in each and how many it would make? I noticed you didn’t use a water bath, either!
hfletcher says
Hi Elle, this one doesn't require a water bath. I know some do. However, it does rise up and fall back. As to portioning, I would suggest measuring the cake and dividing it. The measure can be by weight (the best) or by measuring cup. The same with the topping and the water. If you look at the last pictures you will see the container was pretty full. You can also see it rose up and fell back to where it started. 2/3 to 3/4 should do it. My guess is it will make about 8 but that is just a guess.