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
Do you know if using sugar replacements (like Splenda) would alter the texture of the recipe? Want to bake for someone who lives sweets, especially chocolate. They have health issues and need to omit sugar and cut down on fat.
I think you should be able to use a good sugar substitute, preferably one that’s granulated and works in a 1 to 1 ratio with regular sugar. Let us know how it turns out!
I love this recipe and have made it for years! I recently went egg free due to an egg intolerance. Is it possible to replace the eggs? I have substituted with apple sauce, and bananas in other recipes but have read that replacing more than 2 eggs can change the recipe. Any advice is welcomed!
Maybe a reader can chime in here, I don’t have a lot of experience with egg substitutes. King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill both have good egg substitutes on the market, you might try one of them.
Thank you for the recommendation! I couldn’t find the egg replacer at my store, but I did grab Bob’s Red Mill flax seed meal. I have read to use that as an egg replacer. I mixed it all together, and got a tip from a friend to put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. It worked out great! I was afraid it would be grainy but it was smooth and delicious! This is a wonderful recipe! Enjoy!
Just a little confused as it says it’s like a deep-dish flourless cake but has flour in the recipe. So, can it be used without flour then?
No the flour is a must. The consistency when done is similar to a flourless cake. It is OHH so good.
It has flour, but she says you can sub almond flour which is not a wheat/grain flour, so almost.
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a huge hit. Five people inhaled it. Super easy to make. I put it in the oven when we sat down to eat, so was ready when we finished with brunch. I served it with Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream since I was not able to find regular coffee ice cream. So good with this combo. I am the type of cook that always looks for easy and quick, and this fit my criteria. Plus, it was delish.
omg jamoca almond fudge was a good choice.
Served with vanilla bean sauce…whipped cream (soft not stiff whip), seeds of 2 vanilla bean pods and 2 T powdered sugar. Not sure how to store leftovers. Will put in microwavable dishes and see how it goes.
I would store it on the counter, but fridge is ok too.
Could this be baked in separate ramekins? Less baking time, of course.
I don’t see why not.
This looks awesome! Will have to save it til we’re past lockdown and can have a group of 8 to eat it. Then again, I might experiment with a half recipe….yum!
This looks great and I want to make it for work tomorrow. Should I refrigerate overnight and then bring it to room temp to serve? Or ok to leave at room temp? Just wondering about the best option for baking ahead.. Thanks for all your great recipes and ideas!
Unfortunately, I don’t have unsweetened cocoa powder. May I use sweetened cocoa powder, and cut down on the amount of granulated sugar? Or is two cups of granulated sugar a must?
Thank you for these recipes! Much appreciated.
You can use sweetened cocoa powder, and maybe use more like 1 1/2 cups of sugar.
Holy Cow! All that butter (2 sticks), sugar (2 cups) & eggs (4). Sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen.
I’m sure it’s good, but definitely unhealthy!
Hi Ginny, this is for 8 servings and for an occasion to indulge!
Ginny…. why even comment ? Unnecessary. Also Butter has been shown to be good in moderation. This looks like a decadent treat. Life’s too short to worry about calories .
All that crap you’ve been taught about butter and eggs causing heart attacks has been debunked many times. It’s actually the sugar and other High carbohydrate foods that causes those problems. Butter and eggs are good for you. As with any food, moderation is key. And the occasional indulgence of a dessert like this is okay.