Now there’s nothing really innovative about this recipe, no clever hacks or shortcuts. Simply because this recipe is a classic and sometimes classics are perfect because of their simplicity.
What I love most about this recipe is that the ingredients needed, you mostly have in your pantry already, so it's perfect for a last-minute dessert, and it's almost impossible to make a flop as long as you stick to the baking time.
It’s like a two-for-one special, warm baked pudding, with its own sauce… win-win. Serve this pudding as soon as it comes from the oven, the longer it stands, the more sauce the cake will absorb. I’ve made this mistake a few times. So what I do now is, prepare the batter beforehand and set it aside. Just as my guests are about to sit down for supper, I add the topping and bake. By the time they’re done with mains, you’re taking the pudding from the oven.
The only adjustments I’ve made from the classic was to reduce the amount of sugar slightly, because of the added sugar from the chocolate. I also add orange zest and replace some of the water with freshly squeezed orange juice. Orange and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations, it adds a lovely hit of freshness to the indulgence of the chocolate but it is totally optional.
You’ll need:
· 1 x Large mixing bowl
· 1 x Medium mixing bowl
· Measuring spoons and cups
· Balloon whisk
· Small ramekin/bowl
· Oven baking dish (± 15 cm x 25 cm)
Yields: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
Batter:
1 c Plain flour
2 tsp Baking powder
½ c Cocoa powder
½ c White sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ c Milk
60g Butter, melted and cooled
100g Dark chocolate chips, or chopped chunks of chocolate (70% Lindt is amazing in this, but any dark chocolate will work fine)
Zest of an orange (Optional)
Pinch of salt
Topping:
¼ c White sugar
¼ c Cocoa powder
1 c Boiling water
¼ c Orange juice, freshly squeezed (Optional – if you’re not using orange juice, simply use 1 ¼ cup of boiling water instead of 1 cup)
Vanilla Ice cream, to serve (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease your baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, vanilla, and egg. In the medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Add the chocolate and orange zest and mix until combined.
Transfer the batter to the greased baking dish and even out the top.
Using your small bowl/ramekin, combine the sugar and cocoa powder for the topping, mix together and sprinkle over the batter in an even layer.
Combine the orange juice and boiling water, and very carefully pour over the top, covering the contents of the dish.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is firm. Do not rely on a skewer to test for doneness, as the pudding is filled with sauce and would not, rather, should not deliver a clean skewer. The top of the pudding will look crackly, similar to a baked brownie, and you’ll be able to see the sauce gently bubbling up on the sides.
Serve within 5-10minutes after it’s done and enjoy with vanilla ice cream, and top with a pinch of orange zest.
Enjoy xx
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