Last month, I made myself this hot fudge pudding cake for my birthday. It was so delicious that Jack and Sammie haven’t stopped talking about it since. I thought about making the same cake again, but then I remembered Ina’s brownie pudding, that I made a few years ago, was very similar. I love that this pudding is made from pantry staples and honestly, it only takes 10 minutes, 15 minutes tops, to prepare the batter. Then you pop it in the oven, and like magic, a crispy, crusted brownie develops on top with a thick, rich, deep dark chocolate pudding on the bottom. How easy it that? All that is missing now is a big scoop of good vanilla ice cream.
I totally love Ina, but I can’t help but think that these it’s fine memes are hilarious. :D In every recipe she writes, she calls for “good” ingredients, those used in the Hamptons, I suppose. This recipe is no different as she asks for good cocoa, which to Ina, is Pernigotti. I have made this pudding with the “good cocoa” and it was delicious. This time I used Hershey’s Special Dark and it was fine. Well, better than fine. Sammie says it was divine. Apparently she learned that adjective from the cooking lady, AKA Giada. Gosh, how I love that girl! Another thing you’ll notice about Ina’s recipes, is that she always uses extra large eggs, a carryover from her catering days. I almost never have them because large eggs are used in essentially every other recipe but Ina’s. A few times, I bought them specifically for one of her recipes and then had to scramble the rest. But, here I substituted 4 large eggs for the 4 extra large eggs and it was fine. ;D The pudding has to be cooked in a water bath, so make sure you have a big enough pan to put your baking dish in. I couldn’t find my big roasting pan anywhere because the baby likes to push his stuffed dog around in it or he likes to sit in it like a sled. So, I had to make do with a 13 x9 Pyrex, but it was a close fit with all the water. Oh well, it worked. At least this time I had all of my measuring cups. Some of them were missing for about a week, until I found them hidden in the griddle box (Alex!!) when I went to make pancakes. Wow, it is so much easier to measure by the cup than by third cups.
How does one read brownie pudding and not want to make it? It is quick and easy. It tastes divine. I know you have the ingredients….
Brownie Pudding
Yield: 2 quart casserole
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature I used 4 large eggs and it was fine
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good dutch processed cocoa powder I used Hershey’s Dark
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
I added a pinch of espresso powder
1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional I omitted
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on med-high speed for ~ 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together to remove the lumps. Set aside.
When the egg-sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low. Add the vanilla seeds, framboise (if using), and the cocoa-flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter. Mix again just until combined.
Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish. Place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish. Bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked. This dessert is between a brownie and a pudding- so it should.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Source: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor From Simple Ingredients by Ina Garten
That’s okay, because it was a good one. My husband got up early with the baby so I could sleep in a bit. When I woke up, Justin made me my favorite ATK buttermilk pancakes and bacon. The kids colored me birthday cards, with Sammie’s all covered in pretty Disney princess stickers. My husband had to coach a volleyball game tonight, so we are going to celebrate tomorrow with dinner and a movie. My sisters in law are awesome and are taking the kids for the night, so we can sleep in Saturday. So, today I spent the day with the kids and I had to get some grading done before date night.
I hesitate to make homemade pudding because most of the time when I try to recreate a convenience item or restaurant dish, my kids won’t eat it because it is not exactly the same. Umm…no it is not the same, because it is better! Geez. Homemade macaroni and cheese? Yuck, we only eat Kraft spirals. Homemade broccoli and cheese soup? Gross, we like Panera. The list goes on and on. But, I decided to try this pudding anyways because I love 
