Note: This recipe was an entry submission and hasn’t worked out for a few readers. See the comments below. When we get the opportunity, we will test it ourselves and see if there is a fix!
This recipe for pudding cake is an entry in our Spring Fling Dairy-Free Recipe Contest, created and submitted by Hidemi Walsh.
Special Diet Notes: Almond Milk Pudding Cake
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian. Note that this recipe uses quite a few eggs. If you confuse eggs with dairy, you’re not alone. See this post: Are Eggs Dairy?
For nut-free pudding cake, you can substitute coconut milk beverage for the almond milk.
For gluten-free pudding cake, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend for the flour. One with xanthan gum may help a little in binding, but shouldn’t be essential.
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons hot water, divided
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 4-5 drops vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, sifted
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease 9-x5-inch loaf pan.
- Make caramel sauce. In a saucepan, put brown sugar and 2 tablespoons hot water. Heat over medium heat and simmer stirring constantly until sugar is melted and thickened slightly. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon hot water. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
- Make pudding mixture. In another saucepan, put almond milk, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar. Heat over medium- heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat immediately. (do not boil)
- In a bowl, beat 4 eggs and whisk in the almond milk mixture little by little. Strain twice then tir in vanilla extract and set aside.
- Make cake batter. In a bowl of stand mixer, put 2 eggs and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed until fluffy and frosty. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add all-purpose flour. With rubber spatula, mix gently to blend well.
- Pour the pudding mixture into the loaf pan then put the cake batter.
- In a deep baking pan such as 13x9x3 or large casserole, put the loaf pan and pour hot water around the loaf pan (not in the loaf pan) 2-2.5 inch height up to the loaf pan.
- Bake for 37-40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of pudding cake comes out clean from the pudding part and with a few moist crumbs attached from the cake part.
- Let cool on a wire rack then refrigerate for about 3 hours.
- To serve, place the loaf pan up-side down on a serving plate and remove the Almond Milk Pudding Cake from the loaf pan. Cut into desired size.
11 Comments
Coconut milk is still nut milk, but I appreciate the effort.
It is frequently confused, I understand! Here is an explanation of why coconut is often confused with tree nuts, and how it differs -> https://www.godairyfree.org/news/coconut-tree-nut-allergy
I hope that helps!
I am sorry about that troubles. First off, this is like a combination of cake and pudding. Put the mixture for pudding into the pan then put the cake batter. Bake with hot water (like double boiler in English? In Japanese, Yusen-yaki). Then the layer, pudding and cake, is created naturally after baked as you see the photo (cake portion is small though but this is my preference because I love Japanese custard pudding), I failed a lot and it took me long time to make it the way I had wanted. If I should add something else to make it work, please post a comment. I am sorry it didn’t work for you who tried to make this but I do appreciate you took an interest in my recipe! (I didn’t know this recipe is posted so very late reply. Another apology)
Thanks for sharing this Hidemi!
This was a real disappointment. I followed the recipe to a tee, and immediately could see that there were a few things problematic about it. (For example, the instructions for creating the caramelized sugar layer are very inexact, lacking a temperature guideline. Also, the instructions for pouring the “cake batter” onto the “pudding batter” in the cake pan make no sense, as the two just merge anyway.) Worse, the final product ends up tasting like a second-rate flan.
Sorry to be so harsh, but skip this recipe and just find a better recipe for flan.
Thanks for the feedback RJ! This was a recipe entry submission, so I haven’t trialed it myself. Since a few people have had troubles, I will note at the beginning that the recipe needs work.
Mine came out terrible. It never solidified. I made exactly as recipe stated. What happened?
Hi Nicole, here is what the recipe creator, Hidemi, responded with: “I named it Pudding but it is more like Japanese Custard pudding, not American style pudding which means texture is different and ingredients are not the same as well. It is absolutely ok that pudding mixture is not be thickened. When the cake batter is added to the pan (after pudding mixture) the batter floats but after it has baked, automatically the cake goes down and pudding comes up. That is Pudding Cake. I hope it helps… but if not… please let me know. I should have named different…… sorry about the confusion.”
Hi Nicole, a few more notes from the author: “Did they bake until toothpick inserted in center of pudding part comes out clean? Also it has to be refrigerated for at least 3 hour until set (it is easier to remove the pudding cake from the pan as well). Also, as direction 7, did they pour the hot water in a large casserole then put the loaf pan to bake?”
Wow! Urs looks so nice and lovely rise mine came out a flop! Shame as my daughter has been wanting cream caramel for a long time since she had to go dairy free. Help!!!
If this one didn’t work for you, then you might try one of these others:
http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/coconut-dairy-free-creme-caramel
http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/vegan-creme-brulee
I will see if I don’t have time to test my own Crème Caramel recipe soon P four, and share it! This recipe was a submission, as noted.