Chocolate and Blueberry Pudding Cake is one of my favourite treats. I’m a big fan of self-saucing pudding cakes like Strawberry Pudding Cake but Chocolate Blueberry Pudding Cake takes things to a new level. Rich dark chocolate cake is enrobed in a gorgeous chocolate and blueberry sauce, making for a dessert to remember. It is seriously hard to resist.
Dark chocolate cake cooks on top of a luxurious puddle of chocolate and blueberry sauce.
You just spoon it over the cake as you serve it.
Is your mouth watering yet?
The Story Behind Chocolate and Blueberry Pudding Cake
The original recipe comes from Ricardo magazine, a Canadian magazine kindly given to me by my friend, Laureen, when she visited the UK a few years ago.
I made a few little changes to the recipe. I added vanilla because my late mom always said that nothing enhances chocolate like vanilla extract and I firmly believe she was right. I also used single cream (half and half) instead of double cream, knowing you can’t make something like this low-cal but believing anything I can do to reduce the calories is a bonus! My method of preparation is slightly different as well.
Tips for Making Chocolate and Blueberry Pudding Cake
Use really good dark chocolate and cocoa for this recipe. I use either Cadbury’s Bournville or Green & Black’s chocolate and cocoa as they are really rich and delicious. You need to use a chocolate you really like.
Be patient with the sauce. It will take some time to come to the boil over medium heat. If you crank the heat up and rush it, it could stick to the pan and you’ll have to start over.
Don’t worry about pouring the hot sauce over the cake batter – it really does work!
How to Serve
Chocolate Blueberry Pudding Cake is delicious served warm from the oven but be sure to let it cool for a few minutes as the sauce does get very hot. It also tastes good at room temperature, cold from the fridge or gently rewarmed in the microwave for breakfast. I confess, I tried them all. Over years of recipe developing I have perfected the one spoon taste test and developed an iron will – but this chocolate blueberry gorgeousness was my kryptonite!
Chocolate and Blueberry Pudding Cake – Printable Recipe
Chocolate and Blueberry Pudding Cake
Ingredients
- For the cake
- 1 cup plain flour plain flour is also known as all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder I use Cadbury's Bournville or Green and Blacks
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup milk
- For the sauce
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch cornstarch is also known as corn flour
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup single cream Single cream is also known as half and half
- ½ cup water
- 3 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C or 165°C for a fan oven).
- Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Butter an 8 inch (20 cm) baking pan that is at least 4 inches (10 cm) deep (or a 2.4 litre heart shaped Le Creuset baking dish).
- Start with the cake, combining the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk.(Keep the mixer on low to do this.)
- Blend until mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Place the sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir to mix.
- Add the dark chocolate, single cream, water and blueberries.
- Place the saucepan on the stove top over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. (This may take a little while; don’t rush the process or the mixture will scorch.)
- Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 30 seconds just to bring it together.
- Pour the hot sauce over the cake batter.
- Place the baking sheet with the cake pan on top in the middle of the oven.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, watching the cake carefully after 40 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean-ish, bearing in mind there is a sauce underneath the cake. There shouldn’t be any actual cake batter clinging to the skewer.
- Remove the pudding cake from the oven and cool a bit in the pan. You can serve the cake warm or cold. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 2 days.
did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Looks FAB! Trying on my husband as he’s a blueberry lover!
Thank you, Gina 🙂 I hope he loves it as much as we do!
A chocoholic’s heaven for sure April! I usually can resist indulgent chocolate desserts, but I don’t trust myself with this one…oh my it looks amazing!
Thank you, Linda! I struggle to resist this one too 🙂
Chocolate cake is my favorite and this looks so good. Love the heart shaped Le Creuset.
Thank you, Janette! I was looking for a heart shaped Le Creuset for ages – I was so excited when I found this one 🙂
Looks sooo chocolatey good!
Thank you, Nancy 🙂
What a gorgeous cake that I want to dive right into April! Pinned and shared!
Thank you so much, Joanne! I appreciate the pin and the shares too 🙂
What a beautiful cake! I love the addition of blueberries too; just enough healthy so there’s no guilt!
Thank you, Debi!
Ooooh wow this looks so gooey and yummy! I’ve never tried a pudding cake like this before, must try!
Thank you, Becca! I really love pudding cakes – there’s just something about a tender cake with it’s own lovely sauce 🙂
Chocolate heaven – that’s how I’d call this cake!
Thank you so much, Winnie 🙂
I love puddings like this and the addition of blueberries sounds wonderful!
Thank you, Nicole! Blueberries are one of my favourite berries.
I am in love with that dish and the cake that is in it!!
Thank you, Tara! I was so excited to find the heart shaped Le Creuset!
This sounds A-mazing! Definitely pinning to try! 🙂
Thank you, Sarah, and thank you for pinning too!
Such decadence! I love, love, love it! I’m a chocolate fan if you couldn’t figure 😉
Thank you, Patricia! I have a serious weakness for chocolate too 🙂
This looks so good! I think my family will love me for making this recipe! Thanks!
Thank you, Sherry! I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!
I’ve never heard of such a thing, but it sounds amazing!!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thank you, Jess, it’s absolutely addictive 🙂
First off your Le Creuset dish is adorable! Second, I LOVE Ricardo! This cake looks amazing April. I’m glad you decided to give it a try!
Thank you so much, Cindy! I had heard of Ricardo years ago but I kind of lost track of his things as I’ve been living across the pond. I’m so glad to re-discover his recipes 🙂
Chocolate and blueberries are a match made in heaven! I love every bit of your chocolate bluebbery pudding cake, April! Pinning!
Thank you so much, Hadia, and thank you for pinning too!
Oh my that looks seriously decadent! WOW!! Thanks for sharing with us at #TryaBiteTuesday – hope to see you next week!!! Must go now and make this dessert! 😀
Thank you, Debra, and thank you for hosting too 🙂
Delicious! Thanks for sharing another great recipe at the Recipe Swap.
I’m glad you like it, Kathy! Thank you for hosting!
What a yummy pudding April 🙂 I would love to try this. Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays 🙂
Thank you, Claire 🙂
I made this cake and the 8 in. pan is way too small! After pouring the sauce, it almost reached the top. As it was cooking, the batter overflowed. Good thing the baking sheet was underneath. I recommend using a larger pan. Other than that, the cake was so yummy and moist! I had hand-picked the blueberries too at a local u-pick farm. Using ripe, good quality blueberries for this recipe is so worth it.
Hi Lisa,
First of all, I’m so sorry you had issues with the pan over-flowing. I haven’t had anyone mention this before and the recipe has been on the blog for a number of years. However, I re-read the recipe again and realised I could have been a bit more clear.
When I mentioned the 2.4 litre heart-shaped pan, I was alluding to the fact that the 8 inch pan should be quite deep because an 8 inch, 2.4 litre pan is about 4 – 5 inches deep – but I didn’t actually write that in. I have amended the recipe as I wouldn’t want anyone else to have a messy baking sheet to clean up! (I’m so relieved you used a baking sheet.)
Thank you for your very positive feedback on the recipe, despite the issues you had. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I totally agree, fresh blueberries really do add something special if you are making this cake when they are in season.
Thank you again – and again, my apologies!
Warm regards,
April
you say to pour the hot sauce OVER the batter. My sauce stayed on top. So far, it’s been in the over for about 70 minutes and the sauce is till on top.
I’m sorry, Toni, that is very strange.
I have never had that happen, and I make this recipe a lot, nor has it ever been reported to me before. This recipe has been on the blog since 2017 (although I did have to update it to the new editor so the date looks more recent). One lady did have issues with her dish being too small, but other than that feedback has been very positive on social media. One reader even makes this for her family every Christmas for dessert. Emma of Nurtured Homes wrote, “I LOVED your Chocolate and Blueberry Pudding Cake recipe (the flavors were so good!) and added it to my Blueberry Desserts roundup.”
As I’m in the UK I have only just seen your comment this morning, so any advice is likely going to come too late. You do pour the hot sauce over the batter, that is correct. This is a type of recipe that was very popular in the 1960’s, and in fact my Strawberry Pudding Cake is made in a similar way.
The sauce not working points to the batter being too thick, however if you followed the measurements and instructions exactly I can’t imagine how that happened. It’s difficult to say as unless you are actually with someone when they make something it’s hard to unpick. The only other thing I can think of is if your flour was not completely fresh or the oven temperature was off. Oven temperatures do vary depending on the size and type of oven you are using.
Regardless, I’m sorry you were unhappy with how it turned out.