Low FODMAP Chocolate Pudding Cake

You can make this with either natural or Dutch-process cocoa, but the one pictured was made with natural cocoa. A scoop of lactose-free vanilla ice cream melting into a warm serving is heaven on a plate.

Cocoa does have a low FODMAP serving size. Unfortunately, the Monash University smartphone app makes things more confusing than they need to be. They have two entries: one under “cocoa powder”, and one under “cacao powder”. These are the same thing – although Monash does not understand that they are. I explain this in detail in our article, All About Cocoa. Rest assured that our Low FODMAP Chocolate Pudding Cake serving size is low FODMAP.

Not all 9-inch (23 cm) pie plates are the same. Of course some are metal and others are ovenproof glass, and then there are ceramic, but what I am talking about here is volume. There are deep-dish “9-inch” pie plates that are actually more like 9 ½ -inches (24 cm) across and deeper than the classic 9-inch (23 cm). They might both be labeled as 9-inch (23 cm) pie plates. You have to know what you are using because they are not the same, and are not interchangeable in recipes.

Xanthan gum is low FODMAP. That said, some people do have digestive issues with it. Since we are focused on the low FODMAP diet, we do use it. We find that the inclusion of xanthan gum better replicates traditional flours in conventional baked goods and desserts.

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Have ready a 9 ½-inch by 1 ½-inch (23 cm by 4 cm) ovenproof glass or ceramic pie plate set on an aluminum foil or parchment paper lined half-sheet pan.

In a small bowl gently whisk together the flour, ¼ cup (21 g) of the cocoa, baking powder and salt. (You can do this right in your deep-dish pie plate, but it can make a mess. Go for it if you are neat – or daring).

Gently whisk the milk and oil into the dry mixture until combined; mixture will be thick. Scrape into your deep-dish pie plate if not in there already; smooth the top with a small offset spatula.

In a clean small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, remaining cocoa, and espresso powder, if using. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of your batter in the pie pan, then sprinkle chocolate evenly over all. For this one pictured I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Chips.

Very slowly pour the boiling water evenly over pudding cake mixture, but do not stir. It looks “wrong”, doesn’t it? At this point you can’t imagine it is going to bake into anything edible – but it is! Have faith.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the surface appears dry, but you do not want it baked dry all the way through. If you were to test with a toothpick, just insert the toothpick in the top ¼-inch (6 mm), not all the way down; that’s where all the gooey fudgy pudding resides! The toothpick in the top section will test clean.

Allow to sit for about 3 minutes before serving. Delicious served with a scoop of ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.

This is one of those desserts that should be made and enjoyed that day, preferably warm, right away. It can hold to the next day, but the fudge layer will be somewhat absorbed – any many think that’s the best part. So, plan accordingly.

FODMAP Information

All recipes are based upon Monash University & FODMAP Friendly science at time of initial publication.

• Chocolate: Monash University has lab tested dark, milk and white chocolate all have low FODMAP amounts: 85% dark at 20 g; dark at 30 g; milk at 20 g; white at 25 g.
• Cocoa: Monash University has lab tested what they call “cocoa” and also “cacao” and they show different FODMAP content. The problem is that from the chocolate manufacturing industry’s perspective, there is no difference between cacao and cocoa powder. The FDA, The Food Standards for Australia and New Zealand, the ICCO (International Cocoa Organization) and the National Confectioners Association do not even recognize the term “cacao” to describe cocoa powder. We have an article, All About Cocoa, that we encourage you to read. It attempts to explain the discrepancies in the Monash lab testing.
• Lactose-Free Dairy: Lactose-free dairy, such as lactose-free milk or lactose-free cream cheese, has lactase enzyme added that breaks the disaccharide molecules and creates a more digestible dairy product, from a lactose perspective. The resulting product is not dairy-free, but it is lactose-free. Some products might have miniscule amounts of lactose remaining, but the amount is small enough for the product to be labeled as lactose-free. For instance, Breyers Lactose-Free Vanilla Ice Cream states it is 99% lactose-free, while Lactaid Vanilla Ice Cream states it is 100% lactose-free.
• Oil: All pure oils are fats and contain no carbohydrates, therefore they contain no FODMAPs.
• Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is ¼ cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.

Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. Foods will be retested from time to time; in the case of raw ingredients, such as fruits and vegetables, results may vary. All lab tested results are valid and represent a snapshot in time. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.