Recipe for Puddle Cake

Last night I was fretting because there wasn’t anything “snacky” in the house. “I want cake,” I grumbled to Peter, secretly (or maybe not so secretly) hoping he’d offer to run out to the store to pick up some treats. “Why don’t you make puddle cake?” he countered reasonably (and perhaps a touch hopefully).

Puddle cake – but of course!

I always seem to forget about this recipe, despite the fact that it is quite possibly one of the easiest cakes ever to make, calls for ingredients that are readily on hand in your basic pantry (no eggs or milk required), and doesn’t even dirty the mixer. It’s great on its own as a plain chocolate cake, but what I especially love about this recipe is customizing it with different ingredients and flavours that enhance the chocolate, depending on my mood or what I happen to have in the house. In addition to the vanilla I’ve tried it with almond extract, which is very yummy. I’ve added cinnamon, chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, nuts, and coconut (not all at the same time, of course!) – but I think my favourite would have to be the time I threw in a bag of Skor Toffee Bits. Wow.

Chocolate + Toffee = Total Decadence

I’ve had this recipe for a couple of decades, and have no idea as to its source. I received the original as a copy of a copy from a preschool teacher who used to make it with her class (see, I told you it was easy!), and have tweaked it slightly after many, many makings to suit my own tastes.

Last night I stuck with just plain chocolate, which satisfied my craving perfectly (and no one even had to leave the house!).

Peter was happy, because I was happy… and because he got CAKE.

Puddle Cake is a terrific, simple, yummy recipe – and I’m glad he reminded me of it. Now let’s see just how long this particular batch lasts!

Have you ever made Puddle Cake?
Any ideas for additional flavours or ingredients?
Please share!