Chocolate Upside Down Cake

Chocolate Upside Down Cake

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 7 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 47 mins
Servings: 8 servings

This moist, delicious chocolate upside down cake makes its own thick chocolate topping. It's a pudding cake with amazing flavor, and it is super easy to make.

Invert it while it is still hot from the oven and serve it warm with whipped cream or whipped topping. Or serve it with a scoop of vanilla or fudge ripple ice cream.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 squares unsweetened chocolate

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Topping:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 3/4 cup boiling water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Chocolate Upside Down Cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8-inch-square or 9-inch-round baking pan.

    prepared cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Combine 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir to blend thoroughly.

    granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Melt the unsweetened chocolate with butter atop a double boiler or in a stainless steel or glass bowl over simmering water.

    unsweetened chocolate with butter in a bowl atop a double boiler

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients along with milk and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

    batter in a bowl, hand mixer

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Spoon chocolate cake batter into the prepared pan, and spread it evenly.

    batter in a cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

For the Topping

  1. Gather the ingredients for the topping.

    topping ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan or in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave.

    water in a measuring cup

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, the 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and the unsweetened cocoa. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over batter,

    granulated sugar, brown sugar and cocoa in cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Pour boiling water evenly over the topping.

    add water to the cocoa and sugar mixture in the cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Bake the cake in the preheated 350 F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

    bake cake in the cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Remove the cake to a rack. While it is still hot, place a cake plate or platter over the cake and carefully invert the cake. With a spatula, scrape out any topping remaining in the pan and spread it over the inverted cake.

    Chocolate Upside Down Cake

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Serve the cake warm or cold.

    Chocolate Upside Down Cake slice

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
304 Calories
7g Fat
58g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 304
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 4g 21%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 268mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 58g 21%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 43g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 108mg 8%
Iron 2mg 14%
Potassium 117mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)