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Chocolate Espresso Pudding Cake

Perfect for early spring, this pudding cake involves a coffee cake flecked with chocolate baked on top of a thick layer of brown sugar espresso pudding, and topped with light and creamy chocolate creme fraiche. It's a medium difficulty recipe, but yields a delicious and comforting dessert every time.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Espresso Cake
  • 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
  • ¼ cup sour cream at room temperature
  • ¼ cup black coffee at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 2 ounces very finely chopped dark chocolate
Pudding
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 1 Tablespoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Creme Fraiche
  • 8 ounces plain creme fraiche cold
  • ¾ cup heavy cream cold
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons Cocoa powder

Method
 

Start by making the pudding
  1. In a medium sized saucepan, stir together the cream, brown sugar, molasses, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, then turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for five minutes stirring constantly. The sauce should thicken a little during this time, enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and let the pudding cool covered at room temperature while you make the cake batter.
  2. Grease an 8 inch baking pan with butter. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Make the cake
  1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk, sour cream, coffee, vanilla, and egg. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and espresso powder until smooth. With the mixer running on medium low speed, stream in half of the wet ingredients, followed by half of the dry ingredients. Repeat with the second half of both mixtures. Fold in the dark chocolate. The batter should be a smooth.
Bake
  1. Pour the cooled pudding mixture into the previously prepared baking pan. Then pour the cake batter on top and spread it out into an even layer. The pudding layer will swirl into it a little bit, that's ok.
  2. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake appears set and an inserted toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool a little in the pan while we make the topping.
Make the Chocolate Creme Fraiche
  1. Place the crème fraîche, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the mixture on high speed to medium peaks. Add the cocoa powder and whisk for just a few more seconds to incorporate the cocoa.
  2. To serve, spoon the warm pudding cake into a bowl and top with a generous spoonful of the chocolate creme fraiche. I recommend reheating leftovers in the oven, as this cake is best served warm.