Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding
One of the great comfort dessert classics, chocolate self saucing pudding is like a magic trick! One dish of batter bakes into a layer of perfect chocolate cake with a rich, silky chocolate sauce underneath.
Servings: 6
Calories: 376kcal
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar lightly packed; I use dark brown, light is also fine
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder Dutch-process is ideal, regular unsweetened will work too
- 1/4 tsp flaky salt a small pinch
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
Pudding batter
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plain flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder Dutch-process is ideal, regular unsweetened will work too
- 1/2 tsp flaky salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk full cream milk
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C, combi steam setting. If your oven has variable humidity, choose 50%/medium steam. If not, don't worry! Just set to combi steam at the correct temperature and the oven will sort out the steam level.
- Lightly grease a 1.5qt/1.5L lightweight enamel baking dish, and set aside.
- Whisk the brown sugar, cocoa powder and salt for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl.1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp flaky salt, 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp flaky salt
- In a small jug, whisk together the melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla.1/2 cup whole milk, 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until combined It will be a thick batter, this is normal.
- Spread the batter into your baking dish and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with sugar and cocoa mixture, then shake gently to even out this layer.
- Carefully pour the boiling water over the back of a soup or dessert spoon, all over the top of the pudding - see notes.1 1/4 cups boiling water
- Carefully place into the oven and bake until the top of the pudding springs back when poked lightly and the underneath seems 'jiggly', about 20 minutes. Don't overbake or you'll end up with no sauce.
- Remove from oven and let it stand for 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately, scooped into bowls with cream or ice cream on top.
Notes
- Cocoa powder: Because all the chocolate flavor in this baked pudding comes from cocoa, you need a good, rich, deep flavored cocoa powder. I almost always use Dutch processed cocoa powder as it’s darker and smoother tasting than regular cocoa.
- Baking dish size and material: My baking dish is enamel coated lightweight steel, about 6 inches by 8 inches (15x20cm) in the base, tapering out roughly an inch (2.5cm) each way towards the top. It holds 1.5 quarts/litres. I prefer the lighter weight pan because it conducts the heat faster during cooking. A heavier material will make the pudding cook a few minutes slower. You can make the pudding in a larger/shallower dish and get a thinner pudding as a result. If you do this, check it after 15 minutes because it can overbake quickly when it’s not as deep.
- Pouring water over the pudding during assembly: When you pour the water over everything, use the back of a spoon to ‘guide’ the water onto the pudding without creating huge craters and peaks. The spoon softens the fall of the water and helps the pudding stay an even thickness all over.
- Serving: The traditional way to serve self saucing chocolate pudding is by scooping up the sponge layer in large, chunky ‘mountains’, then spooning the glossy sauce over the top. You could cut through the cake part with a knife and serve neat squares or rectangles, but in my book it would never be the same. Serve with thick cream, ice cream or custard. Berries optional.
- Reheating: Although you can reheat leftovers, the pudding is best eaten straight after baking. The longer it sits, the more the sauce layer absorbs into the cake layer, so eventually you’ll have a dense and rich brownie-like cake. Very nice, but not saucy.
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 3mg
