Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake

It is no surprise that I love desserts and I love to bake, so when I came across "Dessert First", a show on Food Network, I went crazy. It is all about desserts and she usually makes two or three per episode. The other week she made this pudding cake and then topped it with Mint Chip ice cream. Whow. Delish. It is true to its name. Very gooey and chocolaty with a little bit of cake. If you like the taste of pudding then you will love this. Like most new recipes or dessert recipes in general, I always want to make them but then dont have anyone to eat what I have made. So to Kevin's work we go. Everyone seemed to like it and the pan came back empty so I am labeling this recipe a SUCCESS. I think it is perfect for dinner parties. The best part about this one is that I had all the ingredients on hand, how rare is that? The only thing I had to get at the store was the Mint Chip. The Mint Chip is a MUST. Try it out and let me know what you think.
Ingredients

Pudding Cake:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups hot water
Mint chocolate chip ice cream, for serving

Directions


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the cake: Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the milk, butter and vanilla. Stir together until smooth with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan. Use an offset spatula to level into pan.

For the topping: Whisk together the sugars and cocoa and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. Pour the hot water over the top, resist the temptation to stir it into the batter.

Bake about 30 minutes, you want the center to bubble and look almost set, almost like an undercooked brownie. Take out of the oven and let stand 15 minutes. Serve in dessert dishes, spooning sauce from bottom of pan over top. Serve with mint chocolate chip ice cream, if desired