If you thought Christmas pud couldn’t get any better, try combining it with chocolate!
Makes 6 • Ready in 45 mins
INGREDIENTS
- 100g Co-op unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 2 tsp Fairtrade cocoa powder
- 60g Fairtrade caster sugar, plus 2 tsp for dusting
- 75g glacé cherries, roughly chopped
- 125g sultanas
- 1 tbsp brandy
- 100g Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade 70% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into pieces, plus 12 squares
FOR THE MELTING MIDDLES
- 2 large Co-op British free range eggs
- 30g Co-op plain white flour, sifted
- 40g almonds or pecans, chopped
- Icing sugar, for dusting
METHOD
- Grease 6 mini pudding basins with butter. Mix the cocoa with the 2 tsp caster sugar and use to dust the insides of the basins, then tip upside down to remove any excess.
- Put the glacé cherries and sultanas in a small bowl, pour over the brandy and set aside to soak.
- Put the butter and 100g chocolate in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Melt, stirring, then set the bowl aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and put a baking tray on the middle shelf to heat up. Use an electric mixer to whisk the eggs with the caster sugar, until pale, thick and mousse-like. This may take up to 10 mins.
- Add the chocolate mixture, brandy-soaked fruit, flour and nuts, and gently fold together. Spoon a little into each basin and add two squares of chocolate to each. Divide the rest of the mixture between the basins.
- Put on the heated baking tray and bake for 12 mins if using metal basins, or 14 mins for ceramic ones. Leave to stand for a minute, then run a knife round the edges to loosen the sides. Turn out onto plates and dust with icing sugar to serve.