This easy, high altitude chocolate spoon cake is fudgy and dense like a brownie, and can be served warm from the oven topped with ice cream.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for flourless chocolate cake, baked mini chocolate cake doughnuts, and chocolate mug cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. You won’t need a mixer or any special equipment for this dessert. The batter comes together quickly with just a bowl and spoon.
Rich Chocolate Flavor and Fudgy Texture. Dutch processed cocoa powder gives the cake its deep chocolate flavor. By pouring hot water over the cake before baking, you get a fudgy, gooey texture that makes this cake irresistible when it’s warm from the oven. This chocolate spoon cake isn’t quite a pudding cake, though, which also uses hot water to create sort of a chocolate sauce underneath the cake as it bakes.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Cocoa Powder. Use a good quality Dutch processed cocoa powder (not natural cocoa powder) for the best flavor and deep dark color.
- Chocolate Chips. Semi sweet chocolate chips mixed into the batter add more chocolate flavor, and a few chips sprinkled on top give it a prettier finish.
- Hot Water. It may seem strange to pour hot water over the batter, but this keeps everything moist, fudgy and gooey.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8×11 or 10×10 inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture and half the chocolate chips to the wet ingredients, and stir everything together with a spatula. The batter will be thick, like cookie dough.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, then pour the hot water on top of the batter.
- Bake the cake for about 25 minutes (for a gooeyer texture) or 30 minutes (for a more set texture).
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the hot cake. Let the cake cool for 15-30 minutes, then serve warm, topped with ice cream. When hot, the edges of the cake will be more set, while the center is very soft and gooey. Once the cake cools completely, it will set up more like a fudge brownie, and can be cut into squares.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Once the cake cools completely, it will set up more like a fudge brownie, and can be cut into squares. Reheat leftover pieces in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at 50% power.
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High Altitude Chocolate Spoon Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8×11 inch baking dish (or a 10×10 inch baking dish)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1 cup very hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8×11 or 10×10 inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture and half the chocolate chips to the wet ingredients, and stir everything together with a spatula. The batter will be thick, like cookie dough.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, then pour the hot water on top of the batter.
- Bake the cake for about 25 minutes (for a gooeyer texture) or 30 minutes (for a more set texture).
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the hot cake. Let the cake cool for 15-30 minutes, then serve warm, topped with ice cream. When hot, the edges of the cake will be more set, while the center is very soft and gooey. Once the cake cools completely, it will set up more like a fudge brownie, and can be cut into squares.
Cannot wait to make the chocolate spoon cake asap. Looks delicious!!
Thanks for your high altitude recipes. How about more like this cake, easy and not so fussy?