You know how sometimes you need a chocolate pudding that just hits the spot? Well this pud definitely does. It's from Lorraine Pascal's Baking Made Easy book and has now become my go-to dessert. I also don't need to go shopping for any specialist ingredients (provided I keep a spare bar of chocolate in the cupboard) and it can be whipped up in no time. I love Lorraine Pascal's recipes, they are always so easy to follow yet amazingly tasty! I also have her Home Cooking Made Easy book and I have made so many recipes from there - yum!

From the outside it looks pretty standard but once you cut into it out oozes some yummy chocolate loving goodness.

Quick tip - make sure you mix the sugar and cocoa together before you coat the mini pudding bowls otherwise when you tip the pudding out it can have a bit of a speckled effect (see pic below) but don't worry it still tastes amazing!

Melting Chocolate Puds - serves 4

110g butter
40g melted butter (for greasing)
1tbsp cocoa powder (for greasing)
1tbsp caster sugar (for greasing)
110g caster sugar
110g dark chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
110g plain flour

4 dariole moulds (I got mine from Sainsburys)

• Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4 

• Grease the moulds with the melted butter. 

• Mix the tbsp of cocoa powder and the tbsp of sugar together then coat the inside of the moulds so it sticks to the butter and tip out any excess.

•  Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. 

• Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and leave to melt (make sure you have broken the chocolate up into small pieces)

• Whisk the eggs and yolks in a bowl until they start to thicken then gradually add the sugar whisking all the time until it becomes pale and mousse-like.

• Once the butter-chocolate mixture is melted stir to combine then slowly add to the egg mix whisking all the time.

• Sift in the flour and whisk briefly to combine.

• Divide equally between the moulds (top tip - place the moulds on an oven tray to make it easier to put in and take out of the oven) and bake for 12-15mins.

• Once baked place each mould upside down on a plate for a minute. If after a tap and a shake it doesn't come out then run a small knife between the pudding and the mould and it should pop out.

 
I enjoyed this with custard but Lorraine Pascal reccomends creme fraiche - either a pretty good.

Enjoy!



(ps. if you can, lick the bowl while the puds are in the oven. It's divine!)