A classic, self-saucing chocolate pudding made gluten free! Warm chocolate cake, over a fudgy, chocolate sauce, that’s magically created as the pudding bakes.

Self-saucing puddings may not look very impressive when they first come out of the oven, but once you dig in and reveal all that delicious fudgy, chocolate sauce, their true charm is revealed.
They’re easy enough for a simple, weeknight dessert, but indulgent enough for a special occasion. Classic comfort food at its finest!
A lot of recipes sprinkle the top of the cake batter with the brown sugar and cocoa powder mixture before pouring over boiling water. I prefer to whisk together the brown sugar, cocoa powder and water, and bring to a boil in a saucepan, before pouring over the cake batter. It takes a few extra minutes, but I prefer the overall consistency of the pudding it provides.
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Ingredients

For the cake:
- gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend
- almond flour
- granulated sugar
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- instant expresso powder
- salt
- milk
- egg
- butter, melted
- vanilla extract
For the sauce:
- brown sugar
- cocoa powder
- salt
- water
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend: Use a blend that contains xanthan gum, so the pudding has enough structure and stability. Make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information.
Almond flour: Improves the overall texture of the pudding and also adds a richness in flavour.
Instant espresso powder: This is mainly to intensify the chocolate flavour, but I use enough to also give a hint of a coffee taste. You can leave it out completely, or reduce the amount if you prefer.
Instructions

- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). In a large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant expresso powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.
- Pour the milk and egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Pour into a greased 9” round or square baking dish.

- In a medium-size saucepan, add the brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and water. Whisk over medium to high heat until reaching a boil. Remove from heat.
- Slowly and carefully pour the hot mixture over the cake mixture. Bake for about 35 – 40 minutes until it’s bubbling around the edges, and the cake springs back when touched. Let cool 10 – 15 minutes before serving.

Top Tips for Perfect Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding
- Don’t over bake – To keep lots of that fudgy, chocolate sauce in the bottom of the dish, don’t over bake.
- Serve warm with ice cream – This pudding is best served freshly baked and still warm. Time it so it comes out of the oven 10 – 15 minutes before you plan to serve it. Best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Storage
The pudding is best served warm, freshly baked. Leftovers can be kept and re-heated, but won’t be as saucy as if served fresh. This is because as the pudding cools, the sauce thickens and gets absorbed by the sponge cake.

Recipe Card

Gluten-Free Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend (see note)
- ½ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1¼ cups water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). In a large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant expresso powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.
- Pour the milk and egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Pour into a greased 9” round or square baking dish.
- In a medium-size saucepan, add the brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and water. Whisk over medium to high heat until reaching a boil. Remove from heat.
- Slowly and carefully pour the hot mixture over the cake mixture. Bake for about 35 – 40 minutes until it’s bubbling around the edges, and the cake springs back when touched. Let cool 10 – 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Don’t over bake – To keep lots of that fudgy, chocolate sauce in the bottom of the dish, don’t over bake.
- Serve warm with ice cream – This pudding is best served freshly baked and still warm. Time it so it comes out of the oven 10 – 15 minutes before you plan to serve it. Best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
- The pudding is best served warm, freshly baked. Leftovers can be kept and re-heated, but won’t be as saucy as if served fresh. This is because as the pudding cools, the sauce thickens and gets absorbed by the sponge cake.
Nutrition
Nutritional information shown is an estimate only.
See full disclaimer here.
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