Norma’s Brownie Pudding Cake

Chocolate is the fuel of sports fans everywhere, and the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska is no exception. Norma Delia, one of the Skwentna Sweeties who feed mushers and volunteers, says this is a sweet dessert, “but they love it and we keep doing it.” When adapting this recipe, I used dark, Dutch-processed CoCoa Powder, which gives the cake a rich flavor and deep color.

 

SERVES 8

 

1¼	cups all-purpose flour
2	teaspoons baking powder
½	teaspoon salt
1½	cups granulated sugar
½	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾	cup milk
3	tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1½	teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1¾	cups boiling water
1	tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, and ¼ cup of the cocoa powder. Add the milk, melted butter, and ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of an ungreased 9 ȕ 13-inch baking dish.
3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup cocoa powder. Gradually stir in the boiling water and the remaining 1⅛ teaspoons vanilla extract. Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is set and solid but not dry. Cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.

EXTRA POINTS You can make this cake up to 1 day ahead, but it will not have the same pudding texture in the middle when you cut it. If that’s the result you’d like, bake this shortly before serving.