Vanilla Pudding Cake {From-Scratch}

This cake recipe, Vanilla Pudding Cake {From-Scratch}, leans on cornstarch, milk and heavy cream. It makes 12 servings and takes about 55 minutes.

• Yield 12 servings
• Ready in 55 minutes
• Prep 10 minutes
• Cook 45 minutes

Ingredients

Pudding

• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 cups milk , I use 2%
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup ( 159 g ) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons salted butter

Cake

• 1 ¾ cups ( 249 g ) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup ( 212 g ) granulated sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons ( 85 g ) salted butter , melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a glass 9X13-inch baking pan. Set the baking pan on a larger, rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
2. For the pudding, in a medium saucepan (see note for microwave directions), whisk together the cornstarch and about 1/4 cup of the milk until the mixture is lump-free and smooth. Add the rest of the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt.
3. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes; it will thicken slightly (it will still be fairly runny but should be thicker than when the ingredients were cold). Stir in the vanilla and butter until the butter is melted.
4. Pour the pudding mixture into the prepared pan.
5. For the cake, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
6. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter.
7. Whisk just until combined - don't overmix. It's ok if the batter is slightly lumpy.
8. Pour the batter in a steady stream across the pudding in the prepared pan - the cake batter will sink into the pudding, that's ok! Just try to pour the batter as evenly as possible over the pudding layer.
9. Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, until the edges and top of the cake are set with bubbling pudding underneath (some of the pudding may bubble up and over the edges of the cake; that's ok). Add additional time as needed. The cake will rise very close to the top of the baking pan while baking; after it is removed from the oven it will fall and settle a bit.
10. Serve warm with fresh berries or whipped cream.

Cool the layers before you stack them.