Proof Of The Pudding

In the showdown between cold weather and hot baked pudding there is one clear winner: you.

- Emma Knowles

Baked chocolate fudge puddings

Hot, fudgy chocolate puddings studded with the crunch of cacao nibs are heaven in a bowl, and even more so when you discover the hidden pocket of molten chocolate. We’ve topped ours with shop-bought espresso ice-cream, but cream and a shot of cooled espresso whisked to thick snowy peaks would also be delicious.

Prep time 15 mins, cook 20 mins

Makes 4 (pictured p95)

150 ml pouring cream

100 gm milk chocolate, finely chopped

300 gm dark chocolate (56% cocoa solids), finely chopped

3 eggs, separated

75 gm caster sugar

1½ tbsp cacao nibs Dutch-process cocoa, for dusting Espresso ice-cream and coarsely chopped roasted almonds, to serve

1 Preheat oven to 180° C, and butter and flour four 350ml ovenproof cups or bowls. Bring cream to the boil in a saucepan, then remove from heat and add milk chocolate and half the dark chocolate. Leave for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Pour 1½ tbsp chocolate mixture into the base of each cup or bowl and place in the freezer. Reserve remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature and warm gently just before serving.

2 Melt remaining dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth, then remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until thick and pale (2-3 minutes), then fold into dark chocolate. Whisk eggwhites and a pinch of salt in a bowl to soft peaks, fold into dark chocolate mixture along with cacao nibs and pour into bowls, filling to 1cm below rims. Bake until puddings have risen and have a slight wobble in the centre (15-20 minutes).

3 Dust with cocoa and top with ice-cream, warmed remaining chocolate mixture and almonds, and serve hot.