Radio Pudding is the kind of vintage recipe that was so universally well-loved that it just couldn’t help but get passed down from generation to generation. The name speaks to its origin – before there was television, before there was the internet and food blogs galore, this recipe was read over the radio and transcribed by countless home cooks. It’s a delicious kind of two-in-one dessert with a built-in butterscotch sauce and a moist cake to go with it. It’s simple to make and so easy to love.

This is just the kind of rustic dessert you can imagine your grandmas everywhere whipping up on a whim. It’s not fussy or complicated – just simple, straightforward comforting sweetness in the form of butterscotch and raisin flavor. It truly is easy to make, but when I started I wasn’t totally confident it was going to work out!

You start by boiling some brown sugar, water, and butter in a saucepan that you then pour into the bottom of a baking dish. It comes together but stays mighty liquidy so I had my concerns that it would really bake into anything…

You top it with dollops of a quick mixture of flour, sugar, milk, raisins, egg, and plenty of baking powder. In fact, it’s so much baking powder that the batter has an airy, foamy texture! When I spooned the mixture on top of that liquidy sauce, I thought there was no hope that it would all come together… and yet, somehow, it does.

The top ends up crispy and golden brown with a moist, sweet crumb beneath and as you dish it up that reveals a caramelly, syrupy sauce below that you can spoon over each serving of this lovely little dessert. It’s nostalgic and delicious right down to the very last bite.