Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding is a rich chocolate dessert with a crispy, crackly crust and a dense, spoon-able center. It’s like a deep-dish chocolate cake!
Ina Garten’s Brownie pudding recipe has a simple list of pantry ingredients.
Brownie pudding elevates your favorite bake sale brownie to an upscale dinner party level. But don’t wait for a special occasion to make this, it’s easy enough for every day.
It’s all about the texture with brownie pudding.
Sure, you could make regular brownies, but there’s something so fun and decadent about scooping out a serving of this dense, rich dessert with it’s crispy top and gooey center. Amazingly, for all it’s richness, this recipe doesn’t use any actual chocolate, just cocoa powder!
How to bake in a bain marie
Baking in a bain marie, or water bath, is super easy. The technique is used to make sure that dishes like brownie pudding don’t get dried out or over-baked in the oven. The water surrounding your baking dish ensures that the baking temperature never gets too high, while still allowing the dish to bake through. It insures a moist, soufflé-like texture.
- You’ll need 2 baking dishes – one to bake your recipe in, and a larger one that it can fit inside. A high sided roasting dish is ideal (think of something you’d use for a Thanksgiving turkey!)
- When you’re ready to bake, you’ll want to fill your larger baking pan with hot or boiling water so that the water comes up about halfway up the sides of your smaller dish.
- TIP: Set your larger pan with the water on the rack of your oven. Then set your brownie pan in it when ready.
brownie pudding serving suggestions
I topped mine with powdered sugar, but it probably goes without saying that this gooey chocolate brownie pudding is a great canvas for getting creative.
- simple berry sauce
- fresh mint
- fresh fruit like berries
- vanilla or coffee ice cream
- sweetened whipped cream (you can flavor it with any liqueur you like, just add a tablespoon or two before you whip.)
More decadent desserts to impress
- Dark Chocolate Truffle Tart
- Easy Chocolate Soufflé
- Flourless Walnut Cake with Fresh Figs
- Almost No Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Classic Lemon Cheesecake
- Raspberry Eton Messe
Brownie Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour, or cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from one vanilla bean. You can also use vanilla extract
- powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and butter an 9×12 inch oval baker (2 qt) You can also use an 8×8 baking dish. Make sure you have a larger baking dish or roasting pain handy that your baker will fit into for making a water bath.
- Melt the butter on the stovetop or in the microwave. Set aside, and allow it to cool.
- In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Whisk or sift it well to get out any lumps in the flour or cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or with a pair of electric beaters, beat the eggs and the sugar together for 5-10 minutes on medium-high speed. You want the mixture to be very pale yellow and thick. I went for about 7 minutes.
- Turn the mixer speed down to low, and slowly add the vanilla bean paste, and then the cocoa powder mixture.
- Then, in a steady stream, add the melted butter. When everything is just mixed together, turn off the mixer.
- Give the batter one last mix by hand, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated. Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish.
- Place your water bath pan on your oven rack. Place your baking dish inside it, and then add hot water (from your tap, or heated in a kettle) so that it comes up about halfway up the sides of the brownie baking dish.
- Bake for 1 hour. The edges will be firm, but the center will still be soft, and it's best to under-bake rather than over do it with this cake. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least partially before serving. Can be served warm, at room temp, or cold, however you like it! It will be the goo-iest and most pudding-like while it's still warm.
Notes
Ingredient substitution suggestions ~
- in place of the flour you can use almond flour or any nut meal
- replace vanilla extract with almond extract, or simply leave it out
Nutrition
Me and my sister had fun making it and we loved eating it!
How can you say it’s flourless when it’s made with flour?
I was referring to the texture being similar to a flourless cake. You can sub in almond flour for regular flour to make this gluten free.
If I remember correctly Ina Garten’s recipe has framboise. Why was that omitted. My understanding is the framboise brings out the intense flavor of the chocolate.
It was optional in her recipe, I will make a note of that.
This was awful. I think I’ve made it before, and it didn’t turn out then either. I cooked it for well over an hour and a half, and it STILL came out like chocolate soup. I think I had thrown the recipe away, now I remember why. Mine didn’t even look like your picture. It was basically hot batter. I know it’s not your recipe, this was Ina Garten and it’s one that I have to remember NOT to cook again.