Vanilla pudding cake

This is a cake I love to make—simple, delicious, and guaranteed to win you over. I have a few recipes for this style, and it’s one of those you just have to trust the process with. It might look a bit off while you’re making it, but it always turns out beautifully when you follow the directions step by step. lol.

The topping placed on the cake before baking ends up beneath it, creating a delightful pudding-like consistency at the bottom. I adore this style of cake. This is a basic vanilla cake, so keep that in mind when preparing it. It’s simple yet delicious, and we especially enjoy it paired with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Here we go.

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE:

1 C. All-purpose flour
3/4 C. Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt (or 1/4 tsp fine salt)
1/2 C. Milk
2 Tbsp. Butter – melted
2 Tsp. Vanilla extract

PUDDING LAYER:

3/4 C. Sugar
2 Tsp. Flour
1/4 Tsp. Salt (or 1/4 tsp fine salt)
1 1/2 C. Boiling water
2 Tbsp. Butter – cubed
1 Tsp. Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350* and butter an 8×8 inch baking pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla until just combined. Do not overmix this batter.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan evenly.
5. Add the water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla until well mixed. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the entire cake batter evenly. DO NOT STIR.
7. Carefully pour the hot water over the sugar mixture and the batter evenly. DO NOT STIR.
8. Dot the top of the mixture with the butter. DO NOT STIR.
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden and the center is just set. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes. The pudding sauce will be underneath the cake layer.
10. Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl, top with either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and serve.

NOTES:

• You have to follow the steps exactly for this recipe to turn out. I have no substitutions for this recipe. You can, however, decrease the sugar in this recipe slightly.
• If you want a more vanilla flavor, you can use vanilla powder in the sugar mixture instead of extract. You can use vanilla bean paste instead of extract in the cake ingredients.
• If you want you can add in a few shavings of chocolate into the batter and barely mix it into the batter before adding it to the baking dish. Or you can use 3 to 4 tbsps of mini chocolate chips if you like.
• TRUST THE PROCESS. LOL.