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Photograph of Self – Saucing Chocolate Pudding

Self – Saucing Chocolate Pudding

With a soft and fluffy chocolate sponge on top, reminiscent of a good soufflé, and a luscious, silky, chocolate custard underneath, this dessert manages to be comforting, without being too rich, and luxurious, without being too heavy. Whilst it is delicious served simply as it is, it also works exceptionally well with some cream, crème fraîche, natural yoghurt or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4 – 6

Course Dessert
Keyword Chocolate, chocolate sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

  • 45g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 100g dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
  • 75ml strong coffee, I use espresso, or 1 teaspoon instant coffee mixed with hot water
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 15g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 15g unsweetened cocoa powder, sieved
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 240ml milk, ideally full fat
  • 3 egg whites

To serve:

  • cream, crème fraîche, natural yoghurt or vanilla ice cream

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and generously butter a pudding basin, measuring around 21cms by 15cms. Fill the kettle and put it on to boil.

  3. Chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie and mix until smooth. (See Recipe Notes for details.) Set aside to cool a little whilst you collect the remaining ingredients together.

  4. Weigh the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, egg yolks and vanilla over the butter and chocolate and mix well using a balloon whisk.

  5. Gradually whisk in the milk and coffee.

  6. In a separate, clean bowl using a clean electric or balloon whisk, whip the egg whites, to soft peaks.

  7. Carefully mix ⅓ of the egg white into the chocolate mix and then fold in the remainder. Be very careful not to over-beat the mix: it should be as light and airy as possible.

  8. Transfer to your prepared pudding basin and bring the kettle back to the boil.

  9. Sit the pudding in the centre of a deep sided roasting tin and pour in the boiling water to come half-way up the sides of the pudding basin. Very carefully transfer to the oven and cook in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 35 – 45 minutes or until the cake topping springs back when touched with your finger but it is still quite wobbly underneath. I cook mine for 40 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and take the pudding out of the boiling water.

  10. NB The time it takes to cook will depend on your oven and the dish you use to bake it in. A smaller deeper dish will take longer to cook than a larger but shallower option.

  11. Sieve over some icing sugar and serve warm, or at room temperature, either on its own, with some cream, crème fraîche, natural yoghurt or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • Kitchen scales, measuring spoons, measuring jug
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • (saucepan, if necessary)
  • Spatula, electric and balloon whisk
  • pudding basin, measuring around 21cms by 15cms, generously greased with butter
  • or 6 – 8 ramekin dishes. Mine measure 8½ cm/3¼ in diameter and 4 cm/2¾ in deep. They hold a volume of 160ml when completely full or 100ml up to the line where I poured the pudding mixture.

Melting chocolate:

Be very careful melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy. When this happens, there is no way to resolve it I’m afraid!

Microwave: I give the chocolate and butter a minute in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 – 15 second bursts.

Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.

Individual desserts

You could also make individual Self-saucing Chocolate Puddings in smaller dishes. Ramekins work very well. Depending on their size, this mixture will make around 6 – 8. My ramekins measure 8½cm/3¼in diameter and are 4cm/2¾in deep. They hold a volume of 160ml when completely full, or 100ml up to the line where I poured the pudding mixture. They take 20 – 30 minutes to cook.