Chocolate Pudding Cake

If you are going to start a food blog I think it should start out with something sweet.  So what better way to start this off then with a recipe I've had in my collection for over 13 years now and one that, in some variation or another, has been in my family for more years then I can remember.  Chocolate Pudding Cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and that's coming for a woman who rarely picks anything chocolate what I'm craving something sweet.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.



Chocolate Pudding Cake
adapted from: my mom

















Ingredients
1 cup flour
12 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Vanilla ice cream

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.  Combine flour and 6 tablespoons cocoa in a large bowl.  Stir in granulated sugar, baking powder and salt until blended.  Add milk, butter, vanilla and chocolate chips until blended.  Spread evenly in prepared pan; sprinkle top with pecans.
2. Whisk remaining 6 tablespoons cocoa and brown sugar in medium saucepan until blended.  Whisk in water.  Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally.  Pour mixture over batter in pan, tilting pan to cover evenly.  Bake 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of bottom cake layer comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes.  Serve warm with ice cream.