Chocolate Pudding Cake

When I was growing up, there was about a 9 year period where I didn't have a mother in the home.  A couple times a week my dad and I would go to my grandma's house for dinner.  Those are the meals that have stayed with me for 30 years and sometimes I try to duplicate them.  Our favorite dessert was Chocolate Pudding Cake.  It was a pudding/sauce on the bottom and chocolate cake on the top.  The cake was a different consistency than a regular cake though.  Tonight I decided to finally make it.  I had to borrow some baking powder from a neighbor, but I got it made.  I didn't know if anyone would like it, but thankfully it was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:

Pudding/sauce
2/3 c sugar
2 c water
1/2 t salt

Cake
1 c sifted flour
1/4 c sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/4 c shortening
1/2 c milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium saucepan, mix the pudding/sauce ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  While waiting for the sugar/water mixture to come to a boil, mix together the cake ingredients.  Grease an 8x8 glass pan.  When sugar/water mixture has come to a boil, pour into the bottom of the glass pan.  Drop cake batter by spoonfuls on top of the liquid.  The whole top does not have to be covered with cake batter.  Cook for 45 minutes.  When serving, soon out the cake and top with the sauce from the bottom of the pan.  You may serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, but it is tasty on it's own also.