Steamed chocolate puddings with hot fudge sauce recipe

The decadent chocolate chips and hot, glossy fudge sauce are why I always come back to this fail-safe recipe.

Timings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves

5

Ingredients

For the puddings

• 2 medium eggs
• 100g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g caster sugar
• 50g soft brown sugar
• 105g self-raising flour, sifted
• 100g good-quality dark-chocolate buttons, or a bar, chopped
• 60ml whipping cream
• 150g good-quality milk-chocolate chips

For the sauce

• 150g good-quality milk-chocolate buttons, or a bar, chopped
• 200ml whipping cream
• 30ml golden syrup

To serve

• 125g fresh raspberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3. 
2. Place the eggs, in their shells, in a bowl of lukewarm water to warm them to body temperature.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, vanilla and caster and brown sugars, then beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
4. Crack the warmed eggs into a separate bowl and lightly beat by hand to break them up. 
5. With the mixer running on medium speed, gradually add the egg to the butter mixture.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the flour and a pinch of sea salt, and gently fold them through.
7. Put the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe plastic bowl and melt it in the microwave on high, in 30-second increments, stirring in between. Keep going until completely melted.
8. Fold the melted chocolate and cream through the batter, followed by the milk-chocolate chips.
9. Evenly divide the mixture among 5 250ml ovenproof bowls or ramekins.
10. Cover each bowl with a disc of greased baking paper and a piece of foil, then place the bowls in a large, deep-sided baking tin or baking dish. Pour boiling water into the tin until it reaches halfway up the bowls.
11. Carefully place the baking tin or dish in the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the puddings have risen and are firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
12. For the hot fudge sauce, put the chocolate in a bowl.
13. Heat the cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the mixture begins to boil. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour over the chocolate, then whisk to combine. Transfer the sauce to a serving jug.
14. Top the puddings with a little of the chocolate sauce and serve with the raspberries. Offer the leftover sauce in the jug on the table for people to help themselves.
15. The puddings are best enjoyed fresh from the oven. However, you can make them the day before and store them in the fridge unbaked. Bake them fresh, and eat while hot.
16. The sauce can also be made the day before. Cover with cling film touching the surface and reheat before serving.

Recipe from Chocolate All Day by Kirsten Tibballs (Murdoch Books, £22)