My Mother's/Granny's Chocolate Pudding Cobbler/Cake

My mom used to make a dessert we all called a pudding cake. It was kind of a strange little dessert. The pan contained a layer of cake batter, a layer of a crumb kind of thing and then the whole mess was topped by a cup and a half of hot water – dumped right over the whole thing. No mixing occurred before going straight in the oven. When it came out 40 minutes later there was a layer of cake on the top with pudding on the bottom.

My sister and I thought it was magical.

It was good but not quite great. As my adult tastes evolved I thought the pudding was a little thin and it lacked a really deep, chocolate tang.

Then, yesterday, just as I was in the throes of a chocolate craving I saw this recipe called My Granny's Chocolate Cobbler. It looked suspiciously like the pudding cake from my childhood. After comparing it to my Mom's handwritten recipe I thought it might be just what I was looking for. . .pudding cake on chocolate steroids.

1 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
¼ t salt
7 T cocoa powder, divided
1-¼ cup sugar, divided
½ C milk
⅓ C melted butter
1-½ t vanilla
½ C brown sugar
1-½ C hot tap water

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.

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 45 minutes or until the center is set.

Oh. My. God. It was perfect. The pudding/sauce part was thick and really richly flavored and the cake was like a flawless brownie - crispy on top and gooey on the inside. The biggest difference between the two recipes was really quite simple– the addition of some butter.

Paula Deen is nodding and winking as we speak. . .