Chocolate and Pear Pudding
This hassle-free self-saucing Chocolate and Pear Pudding is ultra indulgent when served warm with a few scoops of ice cream
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.
Notes
(NOTE 1) 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 will 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.
(NOTE 2) Plain flour (all-purpose flour) - does not have any leavening or raising agents (such as baking powder) mixed into the flour.
(NOTE 3) 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.
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 448kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 419mgPotassium: 328mgFiber: 6gSugar: 54gVitamin A: 417IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 177mgIron: 3mg