It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day, and thoughts turn to chocolate.
This dessert is impressive and Valentine-worthy with a delicious layer of moist, spongy chocolate cake on top, and a rich chocolate pudding sauce over cherries below.
It’s like magic as it steams and bakes. Chocolate pudding forms over the cherries, underneath a layer of chocolate cake above. It may sound complicated but it really isn’t, and it’s always a runaway hit.
I’ve doubled this recipe to serve larger groups in the past, but as written, it makes 4 or 6 servings, depending on the size of your baking dishes.
These are sooo good warm. It can stay our little secret that they’re dairy-free, oil-free, and made with whole grain flour.
CHOCOLATE CHERRY PUDDING CAKES
1/3 cup organic brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
20 frozen pitted cherries
1 teaspoon Sucanat or organic whole cane sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup Sucanat or organic whole cane sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
1 1/2 tablespoons nondairy vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and set aside.
Cut the frozen cherries in half and place them in a small bowl. To the cherries, add 1 teaspoon of Sucanat or organic whole cane sugar, corn starch, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Divide the cherries among 4 or 6 (5-ounce) ramekins.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1/3 cup Sucanat or organic whole cane sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, the baking powder, and the salt. Stir in the nondairy milk, yogurt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Drop by spoonsful over the cherries in the ramekin dishes, dividing equally among them. Smooth to cover cherries.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the batter, about 2 or 3 tablespoons each. Use a spoon to level the tops.
Gently spoon the boiling water over the brown sugar, approximately 2 tablespoons of boiling water per ramekin.
Place the ramekins in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until tops appear mostly dry and sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
(Adapted from Susan Voisin’s FatFree Vegan Kitchen )
Copyright © Vicki Brett-Gach | Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen
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