Easy Sourdough Chocolate Cobbler (self saucing pudding)

If you're a chocolate lover then behold, the most delicious sourdough chocolate cobbler. You might be more familiar with a chocolate self saucing pudding. Whatever you call it, you are going to love the fudgy chocolate brownie cake swimming in a rich fudgy sauce! All made using your sourdough starter!

If you love all things chocolate when it comes to sourdough discard recipes, then make sure you check out these sourdough chocolate zucchini muffins, sourdough chocolate cake, sourdough chocolate brownie bites or this sourdough chocolate bread.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Chocolate Lovers Dream - This indulgent sourdough chocolate cobbler recipe is kind of like your favorite fudgy brownies (complete with a crispy top) swimming in a rich, fudgy sauce!

Use Up 150g of Sourdough Discard - This easy sourdough discard recipe uses 150g of sourdough starter to create the delicious chocolate sponge cake in this dessert.

Economical Ingredients - What a cheap dessert to make! Use simple pantry ingredients to create this indulgent dessert. You don't need anything special - you can even leave out the chocolate chips if you want to.

Cobbler or Self Saucing Pudding?

Depending on where you come from, you might know this recipe as a chocolate cobbler, or a chocolate self saucing pudding. When I was a little girl, my mother would make a chocolate self saucing pudding from a box. It was one of my favorite desserts, served with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream of course!

Now that I'm older, I prefer to make sourdough desserts from scratch, hence why I created this recipe for sourdough chocolate cobbler (or sourdough chocolate self saucing pudding).

Whatever you call it, this easy sourdough dessert recipe is the perfect cosy dessert. I love adding some fresh raspberries or strawberries along with vanilla ice cream or vanilla whipped cream to cut through the richness.

How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Cobbler

This is such an easy dessert to make, with minimal ingredients and very little effort! I find no difference in using sourdough starter vs sourdough discard in terms of the end result, so just use what you have on hand.

The biggest tip I can give you in terms of the success of this sourdough chocolate pudding is to not stir the butter into the batter! Let it sit on the bottom as this is what brings the sauce together in a rich, fudgy way.

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). Mix together the sugar and cocoa powder for the topping and set aside. Put the kettle on to boil some water.

Take your baking dish and place the butter into it. Put the dish into the oven and allow the butter to melt.

While your butter is melting, add the sugar, cocoa powder, all purpose flour, and baking powder to a batter bowl and mix thoroughly.

Then add the sourdough starter, milk and vanilla extract on top and mix until a thick batter forms. Add the chocolate chips and stir them through so that the chocolate chips are well distributed. Set this aside.

Remove the dish with the melted butter from the oven and carefully spoon the batter mixture over the melted butter.

Do not stir the batter into the butter!! Just like sourdough butter swim biscuits, it needs to sit on top of the butter.

Now, grab the sugar and cocoa powder mixture you prepared earlier and sprinkle this over the top of the batter in a thick layer. Do not stir it in, let it sit on top of the batter (it's ok if some of it falls down the sides into the pool of melted butter).

Take the boiling water and a spoon. Hold the spoon with the back of the spoon facing up and gently and carefully pour the boiling water over the back of the spoon onto the batter so that it sits on top of the batter. You don't want the water to mix with the batter and do not stir it. The spoon helps to ensure the water doesn't penetrate the batter too much.

Bake the sourdough chocolate cobbler at 350F (180C) for around 35 minutes. Remove from the oven once done and allow it to sit for around 20 minutes so that the sauce thickens and it's not so hot.

The cake will sink down a little too as it cools. It's actually so much better the longer you leave it to cool - the sauce thickens up so much more!

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

What Baking Dish To Use?

I've used my Emile Henry 1.8L baker which measures 9" x 11". If you want the cobbler to be more spread out and not risk it overflowing in the oven, use a 9" x 13" baking dish.

I prefer it in a smaller dish because I love that it gives me a thicker sponge cake. I've baked this recipe many times in the smaller baking dish and it doesn't overflow, but it comes close. It's totally up to you!

But I do recommend lining the base of your oven just in case - you don't want the sauce to leak and bake onto the base of your oven.

Can You Bake This Cobbler Ahead of Time?

You can bake this sourdough chocolate cobbler ahead of time if you wish. It can be baked, then covered with aluminum foil once cooled and placed into the fridge for up to 3 days. You can then warm it through in a moderate oven once you are ready to serve it.

Share the sourdough love!