This Vegan Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding is rich and indulgent, with a moist chocolate sponge and a magical chocolate sauce. It's also gluten-free and refined sugar free, and surprisingly easy to make! A perfect comforting dessert.
Self-saucing chocolate pudding is a classic Australian home-baked dessert that evolved from traditional British baked puddings. It consists of a chocolate pudding sponge, with a chocolate sauce that forms underneath.
You make chocolate self-saucing pudding by putting a chocolate pudding sponge batter in a baking dish, topping it with a mixture of cocoa powder and sugar, then pouring hot water over it before baking. In the oven, the pudding sponge rises to the top, while a rich chocolate sauce forms at the bottom of the baking dish.
Vegan chocolate self-saucing pudding is made much in the same way as the traditional recipe! I used my Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe for the pudding sponge batter, then topped it with a mixture of cocoa powder and sugar, and then hot water.
It's very easy to make a refined sugar free chocolate self-saucing pudding: just use coconut sugar in place of the normal sugar! For this recipe it works in a very similar way.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the pudding batter in a mixing bowl.
Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the milk.
- Transfer into a baking dish - I used one measuring 26 cm (10 inch) by 18 cm (7 inch) and 7 cm (2 ½ inch) tall.
Tip: Make sure to smooth over the top of the pudding batter when you've transferred it into the baking dish.
- Mix together cocoa powder and coconut sugar in a bowl.
Tip: Make sure you've mixed them together very well, because you won't get a chance to mix them together again later.
- Sprinkle it over the pudding batter in the baking dish.
Tip: Make sure to sprinkle it so that the entire surface of the batter is evenly covered.
- Pour 480ml (2 cups) boiling hot water over the top of the cocoa powder and coconut sugar mixture.
Tip: Place the back of a large tablespoon between the water and the pudding batter to soften the pour, otherwise the water will go straight down and make a hole in the pudding batter!
- Make sure the top of the batter is completely covered with the hot water.
Tip: Pick up the baking dish and tap it against a table or counter surface a few times, to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake in oven for around 30 minutes, until the cooked pudding sponge has risen to the top of the baking dish, the sauce has gone to the bottom, and a skewer inserted into the top sponge part comes out clean.
Tips for making the pudding
- Make sure to smooth over the top of the pudding batter when you've transferred it into the baking dish.
- Make sure you've mixed together the cocoa powder and coconut sugar very well before sprinkling on top of the pudding batter, because you won't get a chance to mix them together again later.
- You can replace the coconut sugar with normal cane sugar, but not any other sweetener like maple syrup etc.
- Make sure to sprinkle the cocoa powder and coconut sugar mixture over the pudding batter in the baking dish so that the entire surface of the batter is evenly covered.
- When pouring the boiling hot water over the top of the cocoa powder and coconut sugar mixture, place the back of a large tablespoon between the water and the pudding batter to soften the pour, otherwise the water will go straight down and make a hole in the pudding batter!
- Make sure the top of the batter is completely covered with the hot water.
- Pick up the baking dish and tap it against a table or counter surface a few times, to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake in oven until the cooked pudding sponge has risen to the top of the baking dish, the sauce has gone to the bottom, and a skewer inserted into the top sponge part comes out clean.
How to serve this Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
There are several different things you can serve this pudding with:
- Vegan vanilla ice cream.
- Vegan coconut whipped cream.
- Custard - this custard powder is my favourite as it's made with just few simple ingredients and it's vegan, gluten-free and completely free from sugar.
Substitutions you can make to this recipe
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the vinegar with lemon juice.
- You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.
- You can replace the coconut sugar with normal cane sugar, but not any other sweetener like maple syrup etc.
How long does this Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding keep for?
It tastes best fresh out of the oven, as the sauce doesn't stay runny when cold.
More similar vegan desserts
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Vegan Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
For the pudding batter:
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any plant-based milk)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch
salt
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 50 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
For topping:
- 35 g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder
- 160 g (1 cup) coconut sugar (or sub normal cane sugar)
- 480 ml (2 cups) boiling hot water
Instructions
For the pudding batter:
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, ground almonds (and brandy, if using).
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder.
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry.
- Transfer the batter into a baking dish - I used one measuring 26 cm (10 inch) by 18 cm (7 inch) and 7 cm (2 ½ inch) tall.
- Make sure to smooth over the top of the pudding batter when you've transferred it into the baking dish.
For the topping:
- Mix together the cocoa powder and coconut sugar in a bowl. Make sure you've mixed them together very well, because you won't get a chance to mix them together again later.
- Sprinkle it over the pudding batter in the baking dish - make sure to sprinkle it so that the entire surface of the batter is evenly covered.
- Pour the boiling hot water over the top of the cocoa powder and coconut sugar mixture. Place the back of a large tablespoon between the water and the pudding batter to soften the pour, otherwise the water will go straight down and make a hole in the pudding batter!
- Make sure the top of the batter is completely covered with the hot water.
- Pick up the baking dish and tap it against a table or counter surface a few times, to get rid of any air bubbles.
To bake:
- Bake in oven for around 30 minutes, until the cooked pudding sponge has risen to the top of the baking dish, the sauce has gone to the bottom, and a skewer inserted into the top sponge part comes out clean.
- It tastes best fresh out of the oven, as the sauce doesn't stay runny when cold.
- Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, vegan coconut whipped cream or custard!
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog - thank you.
Anonymous
Looks amazing!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!