Chessboard chocolate vanilla pudding cake that you can easily make at home. With step-by-step instructions, this dreamy pudding cake will easily become a family favorite.
On todays menu we have homemade chessboard pudding cake – an easy and super visually effective dessert, that my kids adore. It’s made from an easy cake base, layered with some vanilla pudding – made to look like a chessboard. Kind of genius, right! Personally, I prefer to eat it with some ice cream cooled right from the fridge. This is the type of cake that usually is gone within a day in our household. It’s light, delicious and rich.
If you like quicker cakes that are similarly as delicious try my French Chocolate Peach Cake. It’s as good!
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIOS
Cake base
- Eggs, medium size – preferably free range organic eggs for better taste.
- All purpose flour (or type 00 flour) – depending what you have on hand.
- Brown sugar – white sugar could also be used.
- Cacao powder – to make things chocolatey.
- Baking powder – to elevate the cake.
Pudding filling
- Vanilla pudding – I use Alnatura’s vanilla pudding that is organic with no added sugar.
- Milk – whole milk, usually up to 30% fat
- Brown sugar – just a few tbsp. to make things sweet.
- Gelatin powder – to get vanilla pudding to be firm.
- Chopped walnuts – for topping the cake with.
The pudding filling can be replaced with pre-made vanilla pudding from the store (like this one on amazon). Just add the gelatin powder in as described below to make it stand firm in the cake.
HOW TO MAKE CHESSBOARD CAKE
Prepare the cake base. Combine sugar and eggs and bet on high speed until foamy. Then add cacao powder, flour and baking soda and beat on low speed to combine.
Once baked and cooled off, with a sharp knife cut 6 rings within the cake base that are approx. 1 cm (0,40 inch) wide. Remove the 2nd, 4th and 6th piece of cake gently. Set aside and prepare the pudding. In a small bowl mix sugar, vanilla pudding and 10 tbsp. of milk. Stir to combine. Then heat up remaining milk on the stove and when almost boiling add vanilla pudding mix. Stir until pudding gets thicker (OR prepare pudding according to instructions on the label). Next, add melted gelatin powder (see recipe instructions on how to work with gelatin powder).
Add some of the pudding mix to the emptied cake ring space – just until the middle, so shape of chessboard cake can be made. Then transfer previously removed cake rings back to their places, without pressing. Cover with remaining pudding and let cool in the fridge until pudding gets firm.
Top with chopped walnuts and enjoy.
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES
- Easy Blueberry Lemon Waffles Recipe
- German applesauce cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookies (Apfelmus-Kekse)
- One pot chicken in parsley sauce (30 minutes)
- Easy Cheese Bread (Georgian Khachapuri) -VIDEO
- Mediterranean Chickpea salad with arugula, tomatoes and lime
Easy Chessboard Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients
Cake base
- 4 eggs, medium size
- 120 g (2/3 cup) all purpose flour (or type 00 flour)
- 150 g (2/3 cup) brown sugar
- 30 g (1/4 cup) cacao powder
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
Pudding filling
- 2 packs vanilla pudding, for 500ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp.) liquid each
- 1 liter (4, 1/4 cups) milk
- 4 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 sachets gelatin powder, for 500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) liquid each
- 100 g (1 cup) chopped walnuts
Instructions
Cake base
- In a large mixing bowl add eggs and sugar and beat until it doubles in size on high speed. Then add flour, cacao powder and baking powder. Beat on low to incorporate.
- Place into oiled cake pan and bake in preheated oven (180C/360F) for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
- Once cooled down, with a sharp knife make 6 circles (rings) in the cake base, each approx. 1 cm (0.40 inch) wide. Then, gently remove the 2nd, 4rth and 6th cake ring and set aside. Next, prepare filling.
Pudding filling
- Prepare vanilla pudding according to package. OR, in a small mixing bowl add 2 packs of pudding, 4 tbsp. sugar and 10 tbsp. of the milk. Stir to combine well.
- Place remaining milk on the stove and heat up (should be almost boiling). Slowly add the pudding mixture and stir until it gets thicker.
- Next prepare the gelatin. Place gelatin in a small bowl, then cover with cold water. Let get firm. Then place small bowl with gelatin powder in a larger bowl with hot (nearly boiling) water. Hot water should not be in contact with gelatin, instead make water-bath to make gelatin liquid-y.
- Next, add melted gelatin to pudding and stir. Pour some pudding mixture (I like to use a ladle) into the emptied cake rings. Cake rings should be half full with pudding to get that chessboard effect.
- Then gently add the previously removed cake ring onto their places. Pour the remaining pudding over the cake. Place in the fridge and let sit for a few hours so gelatin sets firm. Sprinkle generously with chopped walnuts on top and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- I use Alnatura’s vanilla pudding available across Europe, however you can use whatever alternative you may find at your place of residence.Â
- Walnuts can be replaced with hazelnuts in this recipe
- Cups = US Cup measurements used in recipe
