Trouble is, unless you knew in advance that it was going to be that kind of afternoon, and happened to purchase the ingredients for something comfortingly chocolatey, it means either a trip to the store, or self-deprivation and disappointment. I don't know about you, but I didn't know in advance that my son was going to spill half a liter of maple syrup over the kitchen floor which required the floor to be mopped FOUR times before it was even possible to walk across it without sticking. And I didn't know that my other son was going to have a major tantrum because his evil mother won't allow him to play minecraft all day over the summer. And my daughter's hissy fit because I apparently haven't washed her ballet tights recently enough? Nope, didn't predict that one either. So besides needing to brush up on my ability to predict human tragedy in my household, I also need a stand-by recipe for such days, which uses only stuff that I happen to always have in the cupboard.
Well, thank you Pampered Chef, because, fortunately for the remaining threads of my sanity, the book 'Delightful Desserts' has just such a recipe. All in all, it is not my favorite book of all time - you could probably, in a fit of sarcasm, rename it '1001 uses for Whipped Topping'. Whilst whipped topping makes my children inordinately happy, I am somewhat suspicious of the stuff. What IS it? I kind of like to cook with things that I recognize. I'm not a raw foods addict or a health nut, but when a 'food' advertises itself as "Fun and Delicious", and looks like cream but is "Non-dairy", I get suspicious. And what is wrong with whipped cream (unless you are lactose intolerant, in which case you have my sincere sympathies)? Anyway, I digress. There are some total gems in the pages of Pampered Chef (and I have a serious addiction to their cooking equipment, which I adore). This is one of those gems, one that it is easy to whip up (hahaha) in no time at all, and which will satisfy the need that a long school-free summer's day spent with three tantrum-prone and obviously clumsy children can create. And, as you can see from the photo below, it comes complete with it's own sauce underneath, so you don't even have to resort to a squeezy bottle of chocolate syrup that inexplicably does not include chocolate in the ingredients... All you need is ice cream and a spoon!
Brownie Pudding Cake
Serves 6-8
1 1/4 cups AP flour (= plain flour)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 cup chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups boiling water
Ice cream to serve
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add milk, melted butter and 1/2 tsp of the vanilla. Stir until smooth, then add chocolate chips and stir in.
3. Spread batter over the base of a baking dish (I used an oval dish, approximately 12" long and 3" deep)
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Gradually stir in boiling water and remaining 1 tsp vanilla. Carefully pour mixture over the batter in the baking dish.
5. Bake for 35 minutes in oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before serving with ice cream.
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