Vegan Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is a vegan twist on a classic Hershey’s favorite! It’s similar to chocolate lava cake and brownies together in one dish!
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If you have ever had vegan lava cakes, then you know they are delicious. And equally no denying that vegan brownies are amazing. This vegan hot fudge pudding cake is like the two of them came together and made a baby. A delicious, sweet, warm cake baby.
We’ll be honest, this recipe is similar to our molten vegan chocolate pie, but without a crust, making it more similar to a brownie. However, it is still different.
The idea of this recipe is based on a classic Hershey’s recipe that has been around for literally decades. But just because we are vegan doesn’t mean that we also shouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Therefore, we had to veganize this family favorite.
It’s a recipe mashup of epic proportions and your taste buds will thank you as they dance around each bite.
VEGAN HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE INGREDIENTS:
Below are notes about the main ingredients before we get into the full recipe located lower in this post on how to make this easy vegan dessert recipe:
- Flour – We are using all purpose flour here as well to make the recipe more accessible and easy to use
- Brown sugar – this provides sweetness, but also moisture from the molasses in the brown sugar
- Vegan cane sugar – Cane sugar is what we are using. If you want to learn more about why your sugar may not be vegan, you can learn more by clicking on the link.
- Dairy free butter – we need oil in pie for moisture and the best texture. It also provides the richness we expect desesrt to have
- Cocoa Powder – Needed to make our filling actually chocolate. You want to use an unsweetened cocoa powder here.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS:
- You can use gluten free flour instead of all-purpose. We do recommend that you use a 1:1 blend
We do not recommend making any other changes to the filling at this time.
Frequently Asked Questions about Molten Vegan Chocolate Pie:
Yes! Use a gluten free 1:1 baking blend instead of flour. For the vegan butter, you’ll want to use a soy free version. Lastly, make sure that the non-dairy milk you choose is suitable for your allergens.
Yes you can. The crust, and filling can both be made 3-4 days ahead of time and the proceed with the recipe.
If stored in the fridge, this pie will be good for 5-7 days.
You can eat this cold or hot, whatever you are more comfortable with. We prefer warmed with vegan vanilla ice cream on top.
What other vegan pie ideas could I make?
Pies are just so good, especially for the holidays. Here’s a few more ideas:
Here are some dairy free dessert recipe ideas.
- Vegan Coconut Cake
- Dye Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Apple Pie
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
Get all our vegan cake recipes!
Pin this molten vegan chocolate pie for later!
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup vegan cane sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder (or 2 teaspoon extract)
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- ⅓ cup dairy free butter, melted
For the Sauce
- ½ cup vegan cane sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cups HOT water
Instructions
- Preheat for 350 degrees F.
For the Batter
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and vanilla powder. Whisk together. Add milk and melted butter. and combine until smooth. *If using vanilla extract instead of powder, add to wet ingredients.
- Pour batter in ungreased 9-inch square baking pan or 2 qt casserole dish.
For the Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour hot water over top; do not stir.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Center should be mostly set. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. Top with vegan whip or ice cream if desired.
Thought the hot water idea was crazy but I tried it and it’s amazing! Such an easy recipe as well. I love anything that doesn’t use too many dishes!
Thank you so much!!!
This was so good! I needed something quick and simple to take to a casual lunch with neighbors and it was perfect! Everyone gave it high praise (and they weren’t even vegan!). I did worry that my batter was too thick when I initially poured it into my baking dish, but it worked out!
How would you suggest adapting this for a convection oven? I decreased the temp by 25 degrees (online suggestion), but it was nowhere near done after the 35-40 minutes. Maybe decrease the cook time instead of the temp next time?
So glad it worked out in the end and I love hearing that it won over non-vegans too!
You didn’t do anything wrong here. This is one of those recipes where convection can actually work against it. Because this cake relies on a very wet batter + boiling water poured on top to create the pudding layer, lowering the temp in a convection oven can prevent the structure from setting properly, especially in the center.
For this one, I’d suggest one of these instead:
•Use the regular (non-convection) bake setting if you can… that’s honestly the most reliable option for this recipe.
•If you do use convection, keep the original temperature (350°F) and just start checking a little earlier, rather than lowering the temp.
•Another option is to tent loosely with foil if the top looks set but the middle needs more time. That lets the inside finish without over-browning.
Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it helps others a ton! We don’t have a ton of experience with convection but hope this helps
Can you serve this cold and still get rave reviews?
For sure
This is the BEST thing I’ve ever eaten! I’ve made it 3 times in the last 2 weeks for different events and the pan is licked clean each time with people begging for the recipe! Thank you so much for the recipe! Love what you both do!
HAHA, love that!
Loved it! Very easy…was a little sceptical as I have never poured water on cake batter..lol…but this turned out great…thank you for sharing this recipe
HAHAH, totally understandable. Thanks for trusting the process
I’m embarrassed to say how much my husband and I ate when I first made it. Think a whole LOT. It turned out perfect.
haha, no judgements here!
This was soooo his and soooo easy! I made it a few hours ahead of time for a gathering so I would have time for a backup plan if it didn’t work out. No backup plan needed! But now – what is the best way to reheat it so it can be served warm?
So glad you loved it! Microwave would be best since it’s a quick bit of time, but you could put it back in the oven for a few too if absolutely necessary
Such an easy/simple recipe! I subbed hot water for hot coffee, and topped it with a crushed salted almond chocolate bar during the last few minutes of baking. It turned out absolutely delicious. No one would ever guess that this is a completely plant based recipe. It’s gooey, rich, and decadent. I already have a second batch in the oven, the first one was finished so quickly. This will be a new favorite of mine to bring to family gatherings.
ahhh love the subs!