Maple Walnut Pudding Cake

Maple Walnut Pudding Cake is a warm, tender cake with a built-in sauce that pools underneath as it bakes. The wet batter creates a fudgy pudding layer while the top stays cake-like, all flavored with real maple syrup and toasted walnuts.

Ingredients for Maple Walnut Pudding Cake

All-purpose flour makes the cake structure. Baking powder gives it lift. Salt balances the sweetness. Butter and brown sugar cream together for richness. Eggs bind everything and add moisture. Whole milk thins the batter so pudding forms underneath. Maple syrup and maple extract flavor the cake and the sauce. Walnuts add crunch and toasted depth. Boiling water poured over the batter creates the pudding layer as it bakes.

Why This Maple Walnut Pudding Cake Works

A pudding cake works because you pour boiling water over a thin batter right before baking. The wet batter sinks and transforms into a sauce on the bottom while the top rises into cake. The two textures cook simultaneously in the same pan.

Maple syrup sweetens both the cake and the sauce, so the flavor stays consistent top to bottom. Toasted walnuts go into the batter, so you get crunch in every bite instead of them settling only at the bottom. Brown sugar adds deeper flavor than white sugar and keeps the cake moist.

The batter is deliberately thin so that when boiling water hits it, the mixture separates instead of staying uniform. This separation is what makes the pudding layer form. The cake bakes at moderate heat long enough for the top to set and brown slightly while the bottom stays saucy.

Mistakes To Avoid

Overmixing the batter once you add the flour makes the cake tough and dense. Mix on low speed just until no flour streaks remain, then stop. The batter should look slightly lumpy, not smooth.

Using cold butter or eggs means they won’t cream together smoothly, leaving lumps in the batter that don’t bake out. The cake will be dry and have an uneven crumb. Always bring butter and eggs to room temperature before starting.

Pulling the cake out too early, before the top is set and lightly golden, means the pudding layer hasn’t had time to thicken and stays too thin and runny. Bake for the full 38 to 42 minutes and check that the top looks golden and springs back when touched lightly.

Skipping the cooling time and cutting into the cake while it’s still hot causes the pudding to run everywhere and the cake crumbs to fall apart. Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan so the pudding thickens slightly and the cake sets enough to hold together.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
2. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and deeper in color. Chop them into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In another bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through.
5. Add the egg and beat on medium speed for 1 minute until combined. Add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Pour in the milk and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat on low speed just until no flour streaks remain. Fold in the maple syrup, maple extract, and chopped walnuts with a spatula until evenly distributed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it level.
7. Carefully pour the 1 1/2 cups of boiling water over the batter in a slow, steady stream. Do not stir. The batter will rise and spread as water is added.
8. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 38 to 42 minutes, until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched in the center, and a thermometer inserted into the cake portion (not the pudding) reads about 200°F (93°C).
9. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes so the pudding thickens and the cake sets enough to serve. The pudding will still be warm and saucy underneath.
10. Spoon the cake and pudding into bowls or onto plates. Serve warm.