chocolate self-saucing pudding

I have just been asked for this recipe by my ex-husband.  Yes, the Italian chef!!  My mother used to make this recipe for special occasions and it was always good - it was one of the few dishes that mum could cook very well and Bill used to ask for it if we were eating with her.  


You can change this recipe to have less sugar (it is sweet), use really good Dutch cocoa or even put choc chips through it for that double choc taste and wow factor.  The main thing is to enjoy.


Here it is below as written up in my collection of recipes.

MUM’S SELF-SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDING

My memory does not stretch to whether this recipe came from my grandmother, possibly does.  My mother made it throughout our lives and I was happy to have the recipe and make it for my family.  My mother was not an exceptional cook and being really honest, was not even a particularly good cook and never really enjoyed cooking.  My ex-husband was (and still is) an exceptional chef.  Surprisingly, he loved it when my mother made this dessert when we had family meals.

This is very easy to put together and can be prepared up to the hot water on the topping stage before dinner.  Just before you serve the main course, pour over the hot water, pop it in the oven and it will be cooked when you are clearing the main course plates.  Letting it rest for a moment, it is still hot when you are ready to serve it as the dessert – with double cream it is wonderful.

1 ½ cups	plain flour
¾ teaspoon	baking powder
1 cup	sugar
¾ cup	milk
3 tablespoons	butter – melted
½ teaspoon	salt
2 tablespoons	cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons	vanilla essence
2	egg
TOPPING
1 cup	sugar
1 ½ tablespoons	cocoa
2 cups	hot water

sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt

add sugar and egg

stir in milk, vanilla and melted butter

place in a greased baking dish    

for topping

mix together sugar and cocoa

sprinkle over pudding mixture

carefully pour over hot water

bake in a moderate oven (180 C) for 35 – 40 minutes