Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

I love this cake- it's an old-fashioned recipe that I ate many times growing up.  I did not have the exact recipe my mom used, but I looked on Allrecipes and selected one that looked good to me- used butter instead of oil, for example, and went for it.  This recipe uses only a little bit of butter, and no eggs, and is fairly low-fat, but not low-sugar at all.  :)  If you don't know what this cake is, it's an interesting concoction that forms a cake layer on top, and a hot-fudgy, pudding-y layer on the bottom as it bakes.  Serve it over ice cream for extra decadence, with the hot fudge sauce spooned over the top of the cake and the ice cream. 

This is kind of like Chocolate Lava Cakes, but a less-fancy, more old-fashioned and down-to-earth version.  Maybe it's the grandma of chocolate lava cakes?  I want to make this again, and soon; the whole family loved this and it was all gone in one sitting (I'm constantly amazed at how much food my kids can eat these days.... it's crazy.  I remember when I'd make certain dishes and we'd have leftovers for days, and now, not so much.  Anyway.....)

Note: I threw some mini chocolate chips on top of this when it came out of the oven, but that is totally not necessary- this is great without it.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
from Allrecipes

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups hot water

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.

2.  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cocoa. Stir in the milk and melted butter. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.              

3.  In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cocoa. Spread over the top of the batter in the pan. Pour the hot water over the entire pan of batter.             

4.  Bake for 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven. The cake is done when the cake part is on top (and looks dry) and the bottom is of a loose pudding consistency.   (Pudding will thicken when cooled a little).  Serve warm over ice cream.  (We let it cool about 30 minutes before digging in- consistency of the pudding was perfect). 

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