Ina Garten Brownie Pudding
Ina Garten brownie pudding features a delicate, crackly cocoa crust over a warm, spoonable molten center. Baked gently in a water bath, this dessert delivers deep chocolate flavor in every bite.
Equipment
- 9-by-12-by-2 inch oval baking dish
- Electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment
- Larger baking pan for water bath
- Sifter
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), plus extra for buttering the dish
- 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 400 g sugar
- 85 g good cocoa powder
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
- 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur optional
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160 °C, or 325 °F, and butter a 9-by-12-by-2 inch oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter, then leave it aside until it is no longer warm.
- Beat the eggs and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, and sift the cocoa powder with the flour while they mix. The egg mixture should become very thick, pale yellow, and fall from the paddle in a slow ribbon.
- Lower the mixer speed and blend in the vanilla seeds, framboise liqueur if using, and the sifted cocoa-flour mixture. Stop mixing as soon as the dry streaks disappear so the whipped eggs keep their volume.
- Pour in the cooled butter slowly with the mixer on low, then transfer the batter to the buttered dish. The batter should look glossy, dark, and evenly blended without losing its thick, airy body.
- Set the filled dish in a larger baking pan, add hot tap water until it reaches halfway up the sides, and bake for exactly 1 hour. A tester inserted 2 inches from the edge should emerge about three-quarters clean while the center remains soft and visibly underbaked.
- Let the pudding cool briefly before serving it with vanilla ice cream. The center settles slightly as it rests, but it should remain warm, loose, and fudgy beneath the crust.
Notes
Butter temperature: Ensure the melted butter is completely cooled before pouring it into the batter so it does not deflate the aerated eggs.
Water bath: Hot tap water in the outer pan buffers direct oven heat, allowing the edges to set gently while preserving the molten, pudding-like center.
Doneness cue: Insert a cake tester 2 inches from the edge after 1 hour. It should come out three-quarters clean while the center stays soft with a gentle wobble.
Reheating: Warm chilled leftovers gently in a covered dish in a low oven just until the pudding loosens and heats through.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.