Equipment
Ingredients
Fruit Base
- 400 g strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 10 g unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
Cake Batter
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 8 g baking powder
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 120 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Magic Sauce Topping
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 15 g cornstarch
- 240 ml boiling water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 350 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 61 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 38 g
- Sodium
- 348 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 27 mg
- Potassium
- 160 mg
- Calcium
- 120 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Phosphorus
- 92 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 90 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 39 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 24 mcg
- Water
- 124 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F. Generously grease the bottom and sides of the cast iron skillet with the softened butter.
Arrange the quartered strawberries in an even layer across the bottom of the prepared cast iron skillet.
In a large mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the all-purpose flour, 100g granulated sugar, baking powder, and fine sea salt until well combined.
Pour the whole milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract into the dry ingredients. Stir gently just until the flour is moistened. A few lumps are fine; do not overmix.
Dollop the cake batter over the strawberries in the skillet, then use a spatula to gently spread it into an even layer.
Whisk the remaining 100g of granulated sugar and the cornstarch together in a small bowl. Sprinkle this dry mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Carefully and slowly pour the boiling water over the sugar and cornstarch layer. Do not stir the pan. The liquid will sink to the bottom during baking to form the pudding layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. The cake is done when the top is puffed and golden brown, the edges are bubbling vigorously, and a toothpick inserted into the cake layer (not the pudding) comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the skillet to rest on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving. This resting time allows the pudding layer at the bottom to thicken.
Chef's Notes
- The magic of this pudding cake relies on the boiling water melting the sugar and cornstarch to create a syrup that sinks beneath the rising batter.
- Always place a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below your skillet. The bubbling fruit and sauce can sometimes spill over the edges as it bakes.
- Serve warm directly from the skillet with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or unsweetened whipped cream to cut through the rich, jammy sweetness.
- You can substitute up to half of the strawberries with rhubarb for a classic tart-and-sweet spring flavor profile.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cover tightly. The crisp top will soften in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Microwave individual portions for 30 seconds or reheat the whole skillet in a 150C/300F oven until warm.
Troubleshooting
The cake layer is gummy or dense.
Cause: The batter was overmixed, developing too much gluten before baking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Mix the wet and dry ingredients only until no dry flour spots remain.
The sauce is too watery and thin.
Cause: The cake was cut into too soon out of the oven, or the strawberries released excessive moisture.
Fix: Let the cake sit at room temperature for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Prevention: Always let the cake rest for at least 15 minutes so the cornstarch can set up as it cools slightly.
Pudding liquid spilled over the edges of the skillet into the oven.
Cause: The skillet was too shallow for the volume of rising batter and bubbling liquid.
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but cleaning the sheet pan is easier than cleaning the oven floor.
Prevention: Bake with a foil-lined sheet pan on the rack directly below the skillet to catch drips.
Cultural Context
Pudding cakes, often called self-saucing puddings in Britain and Australia, emerged as a marvel of home baking science in the mid-20th century. Rooted in homestyle thrift, they transformed simple pantry staples and seasonal fruit into complex, multi-textured desserts without requiring a separate sauce preparation. Baking them in a cast iron skillet nods to American frontier cooking, adding rustic charm and retaining heat for a perfectly crisp crust.
