Easy upside down chocolate pudding cake

After my last post, I was thinking maybe it would be good to show an easy recipe for a quick and tasty chocolate dessert.  So, I thought for a while and was having trouble thinking of a recipe that is full of chocolate, should be served warm and takes less than 15-20 min to make.  At work today I happened to start chatting with one of my co-workers who is vegetarian, but not vegan.  She mentioned to me she still will eat items that have milk products if they are prepared for her or, if she makes them, she will substitute soy milk.  This triggered off bells in my head, I know a chocolate cake that could be made with milk or a milk alternative and is great!  It's amazing how a simple, quick passing conversation can give you inspiration, just as it happened to me today.  As a result, I present to you the Canadian Cooking Chemist's version of my Grandmother's upside down chocolate pudding cake.

Upside down chocolate pudding cake with strawberries, whipping cream and chocolate shavings (yes, that's extra chocolate sauce/pudding that is made during the cooking process that is decorating the cake)

What food stuff you will  need for the cake (4-6 servings):
2 tablespoon margarine
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa
2 teaspoons of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup milk (or milk alternative)
Optional: 1/4 cup chocolate chips 

What food stuff you need for the pudding portion:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 and 1/4 cup water

What "equipment" you will  need for upside down pudding cake:
2 cup measure glass
1 cup measure (may or may not be glass)
1 medium glass or microwavable bowl
1 fork
1 tablespoon measure
1 teaspoon measure
1 microwave
Some sheets of paper towel

Directions:
1) In a glass measuring cup, melt 2 tablespoons of margarine in the microwave (about 30 seconds on high).

Melted margarine

2) In a medium glass or microwaveable bowl, measure out 1 cup of flour, 3/4 cup of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of cocoa, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

All the dry ingredients for the batter in the glass bowl

3) Mix all the dry ingredients together with a fork until homogenous.

The mixed dry ingredients

4) In the glass cup with the margarine, measure half a cup of milk (or milk substitute) and a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix the components and pour portions of the liquid mix into the dry ingredients, stirring as you add.

Mixing in the some of the milk, margarine and vanilla into the dry mixture

The fully mixed dry ingredients with the milk mixture

5) Once the batter has been made, try to evenly spread it on the bottom of the glass bowl and leave it as is. If you want to add chocolate chips to the mix, this is the time to do it.

Chocolate chips placed on top of the batter

6) It's now time to make the chocolate sauce/pudding.  In the 2 cup glass measure, place in 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1 and 1/4 cup water.  Mix all these ingredients together.

The chocolate sauce/pudding

7) Pour the newly made liquid chocolate mixture over the cake batter.  What ever you do, DO NOT STIR the liquid mixture into the batter.

The liquid chocolate poured over top of the cake batter

8) Cover the batter with a paper towel and place in the microwave.

Cake ready to be cooked in the microwave

9) Cook the cake on high for 8.5 to 11 minutes depending on the power of your microwave.  We have an inverter microwave, so 8.5 minutes is perfect for us to cook without drying the cake out.
Note: When the cooking is done, you'll notice the liquid has firmed up and made it's way around the cake and to the bottom of the bowl.  It will look like a thick chocolate sauce or pudding. 

10) Remove the cake from the microwave and let cool for 5-10 min.

The final chocolatey product

11) Using a spoon, cut the cake and place in a bowl and scoop more chocolate sauce/pudding on the cake.

The plate "naked" cake

12) Top the cake with fruit, ice cream, whipping cream or serve just as is.

If you want more chocolate sauce/pudding, just upscale the ingredients for the sauce portion of this recipe.

Enjoy and keep on experimenting in the kitchen!

The Canadian Cooking Chemist