Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

This recipe comes from my granny's archives. I love passing along recipes from her to my own family. With each dump of an ingredient and stir of the batter I'm reminded that from one generation to the next, her recipes adapt with the seasons and personal tastes.

1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. baking powder
½ cup cocoa
½ tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot water
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, ¼ cup cocoa, salt and ½ cup sugar. Whisk to combine. Stir in the milk, vanilla extract, egg yolk and melted butter. Spread into a buttered 9" square cake pan.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa. Whisk to break up clumps. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cake batter then sprinkle the cocoa powder and raw sugar mixture on top of that.

Combine the espresso powder with the hot water and pour all over the top but do not stir.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until the edges of the cake feel baked but the middle still has a gentle jiggle as the sauce poured on top has now settled to the bottom to create a rich pudding. Brilliant, really.

Let cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before serving. Serve alongside whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.