A case in point is this wonderful Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding Cake which comes from Jumbo Empanadas.

This was one of the first things that Leo and I ever made together, back in his apartment in Cherry Valley, NY. It was delightful. Despite the fact that we had to use his downstairs neighbor’s oven because his didn’t work. (He’s moved up in the world and now has a functional oven and some of the burners on his stove work as well.) The last time that I made this, however, I was in a rush and it fell far, far short of that original delight. Looking at the recipe now, I’m not sure how I could have screwed it up. It seems foolproof: a simple batter and an even simpler sauce; the toughest step is boiling the water. But screw it up I did. It was okay – I mean, it was still made of chocolate cake – but I know that I can do better if I take it slower and you, dear reader, can too. So relax, make sure that you have about twenty minutes for prep time and forty five minutes for baking, and then enjoy.

Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup milk

Mix sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in boiling water. When smooth, add milk.

Batter

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation

1. Sift the dry ingredients; add nuts.
2. Add milk, butter and vanilla.
3. Spread into a greased 8″ x 8″ pan.
4. Pour the sauce over the top of the batter.
5. Bake on the upper shelf of the oven for 45 minutes at 350.

Related posts:

1. Torta Di Ricotta E Cioccolata (Ricotta and Chocolate Cake)
2. A spice cake fit for a Duke (Fresh Ginger Cake)

Catherine made the first instance of this cake for the students she advises in the International Student Organization meeting at Canterbury School. After sampling it for breakfast, and then seeing the way it was devoured by the students we decided we absolutely had to make it again for ourselves. Despite our springform pan deciding to suddenly fall apart just before putting the cake in the oven (don’t worry — all was saved) it was not a decision we regretted.

We didn’t have any grappa (a type of liquor) so we just left it out. I’m sure Patty is right and it gives a unique and delicious flavor to the crust, but we didn’t mourn for its absence. Also, on our second go-round, we decided to throw in the last of some frozen raspberries that have been haunting the rear of Catherine’s freezer for who knows how long. There’s something about raspberries that just goes with chocolate and the little bit of tartiness of the berries perfectly offset the sweetness of the cake.

The other nice thing about this recipe is that it’s very easy to make. The only thing that prevents it from being tagged with “quick and easy” is the amount of time one needs to spend cutting the butter into the flour to give it that wonderful crumby texture. Alas, neither one of us is that patient so our rendition of this recipe doesn’t have quite the texture that it should.

Torta Di Ricotta E Cioccolata (Ricotta and Chocolate Cake)
Ingredients (Crust)

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter (cold, sliced thinly)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp. grappa

Ingredients (Filling)

• 14 oz. fresh ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 320 degrees
2. Grease and dust with flour a 9″ springform pan
3. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the crust except the butter
4. Cut the butter into the crust mixture (you might want to chill the butter in the freezer for about a half hour beforehand), being careful not to overwork it so everything mushes together
5. Pres 1/2 of the crust mixture into the bottom of the springform pan
6. Mix the ricotta and sugar with a fork
7. Stir in the chocolate chips
8. Spread evenly on top of the crust in the springform pan
9. With the rest of the crust mixture, crumble it with your hands on top of the ricotta mixture (don’t worry — the butter will melt and it will set up nicely)
10. Bake 50 to 60 minutes

Related posts:

1. Slow Cooker (Self-Saucing Pudding Cake)
2. Carlos V Barra Estilo Chocolate con Leche (Carlos V Milk Chocolate Style Bar)
3. Pale-Locas Paletas de caramelo macizo chocolate-rompope (dual-headed chocolate-eggnog lollipop)

This post was part of our Mexican Candy Shootout! series. You can find all the posts in this series here.

Related posts:

1. Carlos V Barra Estilo Chocolate con Leche (Carlos V Milk Chocolate Style Bar)
2. La Natillas Vaquita Ricanuez (Pecan Flavored Milk Toffee)
3. Dulce de Cacahuate (Peanut Confection)

 This post was part of our Mexican Candy Shootout! series. You can find all the posts in this series here

Related posts:

1. Pale-Locas Paletas de caramelo macizo chocolate-rompope (dual-headed chocolate-eggnog lollipop)
2. La Natillas Vaquita Ricanuez (Pecan Flavored Milk Toffee)
3. Mexican candy shootout!