Chocolate Pudding Cake (REDUCED FAT & 263 Calories)

Today marks my second year wedding anniversary!  It's crazy to think that I've been married 2 years, sometimes it feels like the wedding was just yesterday, other times it feels like it was forevvvvver ago. Well, I admit the second year was most definitely easier than the first year, but still quite challenging.  C'mon, marriage is still fairly new for me and I am still learning the do's and dont's.

Last night when my husband returned from work, I surprised him by making him a delicious Chicken Curry which I seldom make.  After making this curry it seems like I have no problems whatsoever eating chicken outside, however I do have issues handling raw meat at home, the whole experience kinda turned me off which is why I barely have any non-vegetarian dishes on my site.  I don't know, can anyone relate?  

In any case, look at the color and texture of this dish, the color says it all... it's dark, it's rich, and was delicious!  The entire process took me 2 hours to make, I made it with love.  He was really happy!

Today is officially our wedding anniversary and I decided to bake him a Chocolate Pudding Cake which I found on BakingBites.com - an awesome baking site!  Chocolate Molten Cake happens to be my hubby's favorite dessert, you know the dessert where the hot melted chocolate pours out like lava.  

The original requires a ton of butter which I was trying to avoid, instead I made a Chocolate Pudding Cake which is very similar in look and taste without crazy amounts of fat and calories.  This was a simple recipe with minimal cleanup.  Try it and see for yourself.

I'm off to our anniversary dinner now!  Enjoy your Saturday evening!  🙂

TELL ME: How do you guys typically celebrate anniversaries with a loved one (spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, partner)?

NUTRITION: Chocolate is the only nutritional ingredient in this recipe.  I used semisweet chocolate chips which provide some antioxidant benefits. 

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• Instead of regular milk, I used Low Fat 1% Milk.
• Instead of Vegetable Oil, I used Canola Oil. This brings down the saturated fat greatly. 

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 8 slices)

• Calories: 263 cals
• Fat: 8.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
• Carbs: 65 g
• Protein: 2.6 g
• Fiber: 1 g

CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE (REDUCED FAT) (adapted by Baking Bites)
~ yields x @ 350 degrees using a 8 or 9-inch round baking tray

INGREDIENTS:

• All Purpose Flour - ¾ cup
• Sugar - ⅔ cup
• Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - ½ cup (divided)
• Baking Powder - 1 ½ tsp
• Salt - ½ tsp
• Low Fat 1% Milk - ½ cup
• Canola Oil - 3 tbsp
• Brown Sugar - ⅔ cup
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips - ¼ cup
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
• Hot Water - 1 ¼ cups

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil 2 cups of water.

2. Grease a round baking tray with a teaspoon of Canola Oil.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. In the same round baking tray, combine white flour, white sugar, ¼ cup of cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. 

5. Combine and spread out.

6. Add milk and oil.  

7. Mix until well combined and spread out.

8. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar on top.

9. Evenly sprinkle ¼ cup of cocoa powder on top.

10. Evenly sprinkle semisweet chocolate chips on top.

11. Add hot water and vanilla in a measuring cup.  Combine.  

12. Pour the hot liquid over the batter.    

13. DO NOT MIX!  

14. Carefully place this in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Mine baked for 30 minutes exactly.

15. Wait 5 minutes and serve making 8 generous slices.

16. It's gooey and moist... ooh, like hot chocolate lava pouring out! 

OVERALL RATING: 4 / 5
While making this cake I thought the amount of sugar used in this recipe was quite high, however after trying this cake I felt it could have been a tad bit sweeter.  Don't reduce the sugar amounts!!!

My husband and I did enjoy this cake a lot, however it is definitely more of a pudding cake rather than a Chocolate Molten Cake.  This cake definitely hit the spot and was good, however I would like to try making this cake with 3 tablespoon of butter instead of 3 tablespoon of oil... I bet the butter would add richness to this cake which was sorta lacking.  This is a great cake to make if you are looking for a hot chocolate type of cake that is relatively healthy.  Enjoy!

TELL ME: How do you guys typically celebrate anniversaries with a loved one (spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, partner)?