Vanilla Pudding Cake

This is another of my wife’s baking projects. This is a variation on the various flavored pudding cakes she has been making recently. This time it was “Vanilla Pudding Cake” . This reminded her of PA Dutch cakes she likes to make. The recipe went together rather quickly and we had it as a desert. The cake layer on the top with vanilla sauce on the bottom. Very nice desert.

The recipe is based on one in the Simply Recipes.

Ingredients
1 stick (4 ounces or 113g) unsalted butter
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (143g) all-purpose flour, divided: 1 cup or 120g for the batter and 3tbs or 23 g for the topping.)  
1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided: 1 cup or 200g for the batter and 1/2 cup or 100g for the topping.)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups hot water
Powdered sugar, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the butter in a glass 8x8-inch baking dish. Set it in the oven so the butter melts as the oven preheats.

Meanwhile, make the batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup (120g) of the flour, 1 cup (200g) of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the milk and vanilla until smooth. When the butter has melted, remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the batter over the butter.

Make the topping:
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) sugar and 3 tablespoons (23g) of flour. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Slowly pour the hot water over the topping (do not stir).

Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and the cake is set on top with a gooey pudding layer underneath, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes. Dust evenly with powdered sugar and serve warm.

This is a very satisfying desert. Like the other pudding cakes my wife has made it has a slightly crunchy crust on a soft layer of cake with a layer of pudding underneath. While my wife had made chocolate and blueberry flavor this one was a very nice vanilla. Can’t go wrong with this as a desert.