※ Chocolate Self-saucing Pudding

There is no better way to warm up on a cold winter's night than a warm sticky chocolate pudding.

The secret to making this super rich chocolate heaven is to use a dutch cocoa.  


Simply, Dutch-process cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been washed with a potassium solution, while the beans in natural cocoa powder have simply been roasted and ground into a fine powder.

The potassium wash, also known as ‘Dutching’, neutralizes the acidity in the powder. It also makes the product darker and can help mellow the flavour of the bean.
As well as reducing the bitterness and acidity of the chocolate, the Dutch-process increases the powder’s solubility and improves the stability of its reaction to baking powder.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup self-raising flour

* 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

* 1/2 cup brown sugar

* 80g butter, melted, cooled

* 1/2 cup milk

* 1 egg, lightly beaten

Sauce

* 3/4 cup brown sugar

* 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

* 1 1/4 cups boiling water

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 8-cup capacity ovenproof baking dish. Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.

Combine butter, milk and egg in a jug. Slowly add to flour mixture, whisking until well combined and smooth. Spoon into baking dish. Smooth top.

Make sauce: Sprinkle combined sugar and cocoa over pudding.

Slowly pour boiling water over the back of a large metal spoon to cover pudding. Place dish onto a baking tray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until pudding bounces back when pressed gently in centre. Serve hot with cream or ice-cream, I served mine with a dash of butterscotch sauce. (will blog recipe later on)