Chocolate orange pudding recipe

By Silvana Franco

Serves 6-8
Takes 30 minutes to make and 40-45 minutes to cook, plus resting
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This is a scrumptious alternative to a traditional Christmas pudding.

Ingredients

75g butter, plus extra for greasing
1 orange, sliced
100g plain chocolate
2 large free-range eggs
100g light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp strong black coffee
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
100g ground almonds
75g dried cranberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. A well-prepared basin is essential for this pudding as it’s quite gooey and sticky. Heavily butter a 1.2-litre pudding basin, then cut 3 strips of baking paper, measuring 6cm by the width of the baking paper roll. Lay the middle of 1 baking paper strip in the base of the basin and press the rest of the strip up the sides – the ends should reach above the basin. Repeat with the second strip to make a cross in the base of the basin. Place the last strip in the base to create a star shape. This will help you release the pudding when you turn it out. Now butter the baking paper strips well so that they stay in place. Arrange the orange slices in the basin, pressing them into the butter so they stick to the basin.
2. Gently melt the butter and chocolate in a pan over a low heat. Leave to cool a little.
3. Separate the eggs into 2 large bowls. Beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff, then whisk in half the sugar. Whisk the remaining sugar into the egg yolks until pale.
4. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks with the coffee, orange zest, baking powder, cocoa, almonds and cranberries. Once blended, gently fold in the egg whites.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared bowl, then wrap a folded piece of buttered foil around the lip of the basin to form a cuff, protecting the pudding as it rises. Sit on a baking sheet and cook for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
6. Cool for 30 minutes in the bowl. Turn out the pudding onto a serving plate using the baking paper strips to release it. Peel off the paper and serve warm, with cream.

Nutritional info

Per serving (based on 8): 310kcals, 21.4g fat (8.9g saturated), 6.5g protein, 24.5g carbs, 22.3g sugar, 0.5g salt

Chef's tip

To flame the pudding, gently warm some orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier) in a microwave or small pan. Pour over the warm pudding and swiftly ignite.