This hassle-free self-saucing Chocolate and Pear Pudding is ultra indulgent when served warm with a few scoops of ice cream
Unpretentious chocolate dessert
Sometimes we need a big hit of chocolate cake without the fuss attached, and that’s when this Chocolate and Pear pudding hits the spot. Cold winters and piping hot pudding are a match made in heaven.
This chocolate and pear pudding is unpretentious, budget-friendly and incredibly simple to make. The ingredients called for in this recipe may already be in your pantry.
An all-in-one dessert, with cake, fruit (pear) and its own chocolate sauce. So old-fashioned, so basic, but who cares? It’s one of those desserts that will satisfy even the fussiest eater!
Just a word of caution though, to be frank, this dessert comes out of the oven looking quite…uh.. ugly. Not to worry, a little make-over with some dusting of icing sugar, pretty raspberries and ice cream works like magic! Anyway, what really matters should be what’s inside and, oh boy, this modest pudding won’t disappoint you!
This heavenly sweet treat has a crusty top with sponge cake pudding and juicy pears covered in indulgent chocolate sauce. Mmm, I don’t know about you, but spooning piping hot chocolate sauce over vanilla ice cream ALWAYS gets me weak at the knees!
Do pears taste good with chocolate?
Yes, it does! Like most fruits, chocolate and pear make a delicious combination. I had poached pears covered in runny dark chocolate ganache in a restaurant in Surry Hills and it was unreal! Whenever there are fruits in my desserts, it makes me feel less guilty!
I used Peckham pears that were ripe but still firm in my chocolate pudding. Don’t use overly ripe pears because they’ll go mushy when baked. I peeled the pears, discarded their cores and sliced them into chunky wedges.
Not a fan of pears? That’s fine, just leave them out and continue with the recipe without them. You’ll end up with pure self-saucing chocolate pudding. How indulgent!
What can I substitute for pears? Use fruits that contain little water, or are not overly ripe because they will break down and thin out the chocolate sauce. Firm fruits like bananas, apples, peaches and nectarines are great choices! Don’t worry if the fruits are tart because the tartness of the fruit complements the sweetness of the pudding beautifully.
For more sweet treats, check out these recipes:
Can I make this Chocolate and Pear Pudding in advance?
Yes, you can. However, be mindful that the longer you store it, the more the chocolate sauce will absorb into the cake, making it less saucy. Still delicious, but if you love your chocolate sauce, it’s best to serve it as soon as it comes out of the oven.
When the pudding is fresh out of the oven, the chocolate may look a little thin. Don’t be concerned because it’ll start to thicken as soon as the temperature drops.
This recipe makes a generous amount of pudding, so we needed 3 days to polish our pudding. We (3 adults and one toddler) still thoroughly enjoyed the pudding on day 3. I stored my leftover pudding in a sealed container in the fridge. When it was time to reheat and serve, I just popped in the microwave for a minute.
Ingredients for Chocolate and Pear Pudding
Pears – I used large ripe but firm Peckham pears. Before baking, I peeled and cored them, and then sliced them into chunky wedges. Most variety of pears would work, but select the ones that are not overly ripe or they will go mushy during baking. Skip the pears if you would like a plain chocolate self-saucing pudding.
Plain flour (all-purpose flour) – does not have any leavening or raising agents (such as baking powder) mixed into the flour.
Caster sugar (superfine sugar) – Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar, but it’s not the same as icing/powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but don’t over-blitz to a powder consistency. However, you could just use equal amounts of regular white sugar.
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How to make Chocolate and Pear Pudding
Step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) or 150°C (300°F) for fan-forced ovens. Lightly grease a large deep baking dish (should fit 8-10 cups) then place the pears in one layer at the bottom of the dish.
For the crust mixture – In a bowl, mix the cocoa and brown sugar until combined, then set aside later for later.
Dry ingredients – In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and salt, then whisk until combined.
For the wet ingredients – In a separate bowl, combine the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract, then whisk until combined.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Fold the mixture until just combined and no dry bits are showing, but don’t over-mix.
Spoon large blobs of batter over the pears in the baking dish, then use a spatula to smooth the batter out evenly. Sprinkle the crust mixture evenly over the top of the batter, then slowly pour boiling water on top. Bake for pudding for 40 to 45 minutes. It’s ready when the top looks crusty and it springs back when pressed with a finger. Just before serving sift icing sugar all over the pudding.
Leftovers – Allow the pudding to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into an airtight container and refrigerate. It’ll be good for up to 3 to 4 days. Frozen pudding will keep for up to 3 months.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Chocolate and Pear Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe but firm pears (peeled & sliced into wedges) (NOTE 1)
- 2 cup boiling water
Batter
- 1⅔ cup plain flour (NOTE 2)
- ⅔ cup caster sugar (NOTE 3)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 2 tsp coffee powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 100 gm unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Crust
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
Topping (optional)
- icing sugar to dust (powdered/confectionary sugar)
- whipped cream or ice cream
- fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) or 150°C (300°F) for fan-forced ovens. Lightly grease a large deep baking dish (should fit 8-10 cups) then place the pears in one layer at the bottom of the dish.
- For the crust mixture – In a bowl, mix the cocoa and brown sugar until combined, then set aside later for later.
- For the dry ingredients – In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and salt, then whisk until combined.For the wet ingredients – In a separate bowl, combine the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract, then whisk until combined.Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Fold the mixture until just combined and no dry bits are showing, but don't over-mix.
- Spoon large blobs of batter over the pears in the baking dish, then use a spatula to smooth the batter out evenly. Sprinkle the crust mixture evenly over the top of the batter, then slowly pour boiling water on top. Bake for pudding for 40 to 45 minutes. It's ready when the top looks crusty and it springs back when pressed with a finger. Just before serving sift icing sugar all over the pudding.
