by Emma Chow

Running out of a chocolate can spell disaster in this house. Especially around 10pm, when the last shop in the ranges has closed and I’ve finally got a moment to sit down and I realise that whatever I might have eaten today, the only thing that could improve my mood will be chocolate.

I’ve licked raw cocoa from a spoon in desperation. This can work reasonably well, until you accidentally inhale it into your lungs and cough and splutter brown mess all over the kitchen.

My partner and I tend to bond over dessert at the end of the day, sharing Pinterest finds, talking about our day, battling with spoons over the last mouthful.

This pudding is made with cocoa powder, not chocolate, but is so chocolate-y and rich. It is too perfect paired with thick cream or ice cream.

Dessert is the best way to warm up together in the evening.

This will feed a family of four, or two very greedy people willing to sleep straight after consuming.

It’ll take you 10 minutes to throw together and you’ll just need to wait half an hour to consume it. Faster than popping out to the shops and back for chocolate, if the shops are even open.

*Karen’s Note:  I just threw one together this evening as a “Finally I can eat again!” celebration after a tooth operation.  I made it using Well & Good Gluten Free plain flour and added about a 1/4 tsp xantham gum and cooked it a little longer.  Chocolate-y, sauce-y deliciousness!

Ingredients:

½ cup plain flour

¾ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

¼ cup melted butter

1 egg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup boiling water

Method:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius.

In one large bowl, whisk together the flour, ½ cup of the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter and egg.

Add these liquid ingredients to dry and whisk to combine, but don’t overmix.

Pour this patter into four 250ml ramekins, or a shallow glass or ceramic 1 litre baking dish.

Combine boiling water, rest of the brown sugar and the last tablespoon of cocoa powder. If you’re a coffee fancier, add a teaspoon of instant coffee to this.

Pour roughly equal amounts of this liquid over each pudding or over your whole large pudding. This is the ‘self-saucing’ part.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. The cake part of the pudding will rise and puff slightly and will feel mostly set when pressed with the back of a spoon. Don’t do it with your finger.

You should let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving, because it is really hot and stays hot for a while. Enjoy.