When Fiona Wier Walmsley first met Adam, she made him chocolate self-saucing pudding. She thinks it was actually for our second date (chronology dependent on who you ask). He said he loved it. So she made it again. And again. And sometime after they were married (that would be SIX years later and heaven knows how many puddings) he confessed that he really didn’t like chocolate self-saucing pudding. Any of them.
So, when Adam was out of town overnight recently, she made one, even though it wasn’t Tuesday night dessert night.
Serves 6–8
WHAT YOU NEED
100g butter
225g (1½ cups) self-raising flour (*See below)
230g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
80g unsweetened cocoa powder
250ml (1 cup) full-cream (whole) milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
230g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar (***See below)
500ml (2 cups) boiling water
*Self-raising flour (best made fresh)
MAKES 150g (1 CUP)
150g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder (homemade)
Combine the plain flour with the baking powder. Ideally, sift them together or combine briskly with a whisk.
**Brown sugar
MAKES 1 CUP
220g (1 cup) white sugar
1 tbsp molasses
For a darker brown sugar
220g (1 cup) white sugar
2 tbsp molasses
Put the sugar in a bowl and drizzle the molasses over the top. With your fingers (it won’t work with a fork) rub the molasses into the sugar. Keep rubbing, it’ll look like white sugar and clumps of molasses until it magically turns into brown sugar! Homemade brown sugar doesn’t store beautifully for that long; it tends to go hard and lumpy. Apparently, you can mitigate this by sticking a slice of white bread into your sugar jar, which absorbs the moisture and stops it from clumping. Or you can just make as much as you need for 2–3 weeks.
WHAT TO DO
Microwave method
Place the butter in a microwave-safe pie dish and melt in the microwave. Stir in the sifted flour, caster sugar, half the cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt, then the milk and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Combine the brown sugar and remaining cocoa powder and sift over the top of the batter. Pour the water over the top and cook on high for 12 minutes or until just cooked in the centre. Stand for a few minutes before serving because it will be piping hot. Delightful with ice cream.
Oven method
Preheat your oven to 170°C and grease a pie dish.
In a saucepan, melt your butter. Over the butter, sift in the flour, sugar, half the cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt, and stir well to combine, then stir in the milk and vanilla. Scrape into the pie dish. Combine the brown sugar and remaining cocoa powder and sift over the top of the batter. Pour the boiling water over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until just cooked in the centre.
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