Raspberry fudge pudding cake is the decadence you need this Valentine’s Day.

The older I get, the more Valentine’s Day becomes less important.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not against the holiday. Declaring your love for someone is a wonderful thing, enrobed in flowers and silly cards or not.

It’s just that, not unlike my birthday, the day has become less important to me as my children grow up and experience these things for themselves.

I prefer to not go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day and instead enjoy something cozy at home, avoiding the crowds, prix-fixe dinners, and babysitting fees. Trying to find parking downtown is not my idea of a romantic evening.

These cozy meals at home can be anything, of course, but usually I try to make something special to mark the occasion. Perhaps something like easy steak roulade or sumac lamb chops with chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes or raspberry fudge pudding cake for dessert.

raspberry fudge pudding cake

Raspberry fudge pudding cake is just the right level of decadent and special for Valentine’s Day dessert.

This raspberry fudge pudding cake is the ideal size for sharing with the family (or just your sweetie if you like – I’m cool with being greedy about dessert).

It comes together incredibly quickly and can cool while you’re enjoying the first course, allowing for dessert to be perfectly warm and gooey without burning your tongue.

what is pudding cake?

If you’ve never had pudding cake you’re in for a treat. With only a little bit of flour, tunnels of rich chocolate sauce form as it bakes, running through the cake.

Chocolate pudding cake is essentially a rich cake covered with hot fudge sauce all in one dish.

Making my version even more decadent is the addition of tart raspberries, which are wonderful up against the chocolate.

Frozen raspberries can easily be used instead of fresh, or you can try strawberries, blackberries, or even blueberries! All of them are wonderful with chocolate and are a nice way to make this pudding cake your own.

You can balance it all with the addition of a scoop of vanilla ice cream or simple whipped cream, but I prefer to dive right in and just serve raspberry fudge pudding cake with a cup of coffee.

how to make pudding cake

Making raspberry fudge pudding cake is much like making a standard cake batter at first, save for the fact that it only uses ½ cup of flour.

Where raspberry fudge pudding cake diverges from a traditional cake is after you put it in the pan.

After spreading the batter into a greased baking dish, we spoon the slightly mashed raspberries over top and sprinkle it with a mixture of brown sugar and cocoa powder.

And that’s it. Walk away.

Ok, don’t really walk away. Put it in the oven, but do not mix the raspberries or the brown sugar-cocoa mixture into the batter!

It’ll feel weird and like you’re forgetting a step, but this unusual assembly will result in a perfect pudding cake. Perfectly baked chocolate-raspberry cake and rivers of hot fudge sauce.

Don’t tell your Valentine, but this is all you really need for Valentine’s Day.

For more pudding cake recipes, check out chocolate peanut butter pudding cake or instant pot pumpkin pudding cakes.

Raspberry Fudge Pudding Cake

Name: Raspberry Fudge Pudding Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 ounces fresh raspberries; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 tablespoons butter, softened; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1/4 cup milk; 1/3 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Raspberry fudge pudding cake is the decadence you need this Valentine’s Day. Tunnels of hot fudge sauce run through a rich chocolate and raspberry cake. Make it for the family or just your valentine.

Ingredients

6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash raspberries slightly with a potato masher and set aside.
In a bowl combine flour, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and baking powder; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and the vanilla; beat until well combined. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating until smooth after each addition.
Spread batter in a greased 2-quart square baking dish. Spoon raspberries over batter. Combine remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder; sprinkle evenly over batter.
Bake about 40 minutes or until wooden toothpick, inserted about 1/2 inch into cake portion, comes out clean. Cool about 1 hour on a wire rack. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.