Is it a cake? Is it a pie? It’s Funny Cake, and it’s about to be your new favorite easy baking recipe. This "funny" dessert features a gooey chocolate bottom and a soft yellow cake top, all baked inside a buttery pie crust. Whether you call it a Mennonite Funny Cake or just plain delicious, this simple, one-pan dessert is a nostalgic classic that hits the spot every single time.
As far as homemade pies (and cakes!) go, this dessert recipe is incredibly easy to make. Using a store-bought premade pie crust saves you time and effort--plus you only need a few simple ingredients for this impressive, yet budget-friendly, dessert.
What sets this version apart from many traditional recipes is the placement of the homemade chocolate syrup. In this recipe, you pour the syrup directly onto the bottom crust. This creates a rich, fudgy layer where the flavor tastes best. You get more of a rich, chocolaty flavor this way--and honestly, who wouldn't want that 😁?
This unique Pennsylvania Dutch funny cake will be the talk of your next social. Most people have never seen a fluffy cake baked directly on a pie crust! It's a nostalgic treat that surprises everyone who tries it.
For another delicious Pennsylvania Dutch dessert, see Dutch Apple Crumb Pie.
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🥘Ingredients
Pie and Chocolate Base:
- pie crust- one refrigerated premade crust (or make your own); do not pre-bake the shell for this recipe
- sugar- granulated white sugar to sweeten the homemade chocolate syrup
- unsweetened cocoa powder- Hershey’s cocoa powder is recommended for the best chocolate flavor
- hot water- use very hot water to help dissolve the sugar and cocoa together
- pure vanilla extract- adds deep flavor to the chocolate base and the cake topper
Cake Batter:
- flour- spoon into measuring cup and gently level off for best results
- sugar- I use pure cane sugar
- baking powder- leavening agent to help the cake layer rise
- butter- soften at room temperature for easy mixing
- egg- one large egg, slightly beaten, to provide structure to the sponge
- milk- whole milk or skim milk works perfectly for this Pennsylvania Dutch dessert
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Mix the sugar, cocoa, hot water, and vanilla to make the chocolate syrup; pour into unbaked pie shell.
- Step 2: Mix the dry cake ingredients; cut in softened butter; add wet ingredients and stir until just blended; spoon over syrup.
- Step 3: Bake.
- Step 4: Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
Hint: Allow the cake to cool for at least one hour before slicing. This resting time lets the chocolate syrup layer set perfectly at the bottom. Your patience ensures clean slices and the best possible texture for this dessert.
📖Variations
Chocolate Chip Funny Cake: Before baking, add ½ c. mini chocolate chips on top of the cake batter. This makes the cake more chocolaty and kid friendly.
🍽Equipment
- 9 inch pie dish
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- pastry cutter (for blending the butter and dry cake ingredients)
🍶Storage
Store your funny cake in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also cover the pie dish tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This traditional dessert stays fresh and delicious for up to five days.
There is no need to refrigerate this cake unless your kitchen is very warm. Keeping it on the counter maintains the soft texture of the cake and the gooey chocolate base. If you prefer it warm, simply reheat individual slices in the microwave for ten seconds.
You can freeze the whole pie or individual slices for up to two months. Place the dessert in a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw the cake at room temperature before serving to your guests.
💭Top tip
Carefully spread the cake batter over the chocolate syrup to the edges of the crust. Do not mix the batter with the chocolate syrup layer below it. This layering technique ensures your dessert bakes evenly with a perfect fudgy bottom.
🗨️FAQ
Funny cake is actually a hybrid of both a pie and a cake. It consists of a fluffy vanilla cake batter baked inside a traditional flaky pie crust. This unique combination makes it a staple of Pennsylvania Dutch baking.
The name comes from the "funny" way the ingredients move while baking. In many traditional recipes, you pour the chocolate syrup on top of the batter. As it bakes, the heavy chocolate sinks to the bottom to create a gooey layer.
Funny cake tastes like a soft, moist yellow cake with a rich chocolate fudge base. The buttery pie crust adds a salty, flaky contrast to the sweet layers. Many people describe the flavor as a cross between a lava cake and a coffee cake.
Funny cake uses a vanilla cake batter and a chocolate syrup base. Shoofly pie is made with a molasses-based filling and a crumb topping. Both are famous Mennonite desserts, but funny cake is much lighter and focuses on chocolate flavor.
🥄Related
Looking for other chocolate dessert recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Funny Cake:
📋Recipe
Funny Cake
Ingredients
Pie and Chocolate Base
- 1 refrigerated pie crust unbaked
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Hershey's recommended
- 6 tablespoon hot water microwave it so it's extra hot
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cake Batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup butter softened at room temperature
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- ½ cup milk I typically use skim
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Arrange pie crust dough into a 9 inch pie plate. Carefully mold the dough to your dish by gently pressing it down with your fingers. Make sure that the dough is smooth and that there are no air bubbles.
- In your first bowl, mix ½ cup sugar and the unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Add the microwaved hot water and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir gently. The mixture will be fairly runny and a little bubbly. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients togther for the cake topper (1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking powder).
- Next, add the softened butter. Use a pastry cutter to blend the butter with the dry ingredients.
- Slightly beat 1 egg, then add to the bowl along with the remaining ½ cup milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
- Pour the chocolate liquid mixture into the crust. There should be enough liquid to cover the bottom.
- Next, spoon the cake batter on top of the liquid; spread the batter to the crust's edges.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake topper comes out clean.
- Allow the pie to cool for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.
Russell F. says
The directions were very easy to follow. I appreciated the step-by-step instructions as I am far from a baker. Thanks Betty.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Thanks for your feedback! I'm so glad you gave it a try and I hope you enjoy it!
Pam D. says
This was a new recipe for me...and it was very easy to make. We really liked our Funny cake with ice cream and caramel sauce.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
So glad you tried it and enjoyed it with the ice cream and caramel...we like it that way too.