Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Susan, AKA Kiwicook
Susan, AKA Kiwicook

Susan, AKA Kiwicook

In her days as a recipe developer, Susan has created over 450 recipes. Her Dutch and New Zealander roots serve as a basis for her culinary inspiration.

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CHOCOLATE SELF-SAUCING PUDDING

I don’t know where Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding originated from, but it’s certainly been a dessert favourite of Kiwis for decades now. And why wouldn’t it be? Soft, spongy chocolate cake doused in fudgy chocolate sauce and served with lashings of cream – need I say more?

What’s pretty cool about this recipe is that the sauce creates itself in a kind of spooky and magical way. Let me explain… you make the pudding by layering the sponge batter on the bottom of the dish, then adding the sauce ingredients on top. During its time in the oven the ingredients do a flip-flop and you end up with the sauce on the bottom and the sponge floating on top. How can you not believe in miracles?

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I often read from reviewers of self-saucing pudding recipes, that there’s not enough sauce. Let me assure you right here and now… there is plenty. There is A LOT of sauce. There is, in fact, an entire ‘lake’ of sauce with a little bit of sponge floating on top of it! So, for all you sauce lovers out there who can never get enough sauce in their self-saucing puddings, you need go no further than this recipe.

Speaking of which, I must thank Julian from NZ Favourite Recipe.co.nz for this superlative recipe â€“ I have to admit I scoffed a large plate of it for dessert, followed by more at breakfast the next morning (that’s how I love it most – cold, straight from the fridge).

You could, of course, easily dress up the flavours a bit – perhaps add a shot of coffee to the sauce, with a teaspoon of coffee powder in the sponge… Or, maybe some orange liqueur in the sauce and orange zest in the sponge… Or, how about just adding some dates or walnuts to the sponge instead? All sorts of possibilities and all sorts of reasons I’ll be needing to make this pudding again real soon! Enjoy!!

CHOCOLATE SELF-SAUCING PUDDING

CHOCOLATE SELF-SAUCING PUDDING

A dessert that combines the richness of cocoa and the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of buttery sponge. Perfect for satisfying your chocolate cravings, this pudding is a dream when served with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream – it promises a comforting, indulgent experience with every spoonful.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 583 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the sponge:

  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder, use good quality
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla essence

For the sauce:

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup white granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 cups boiling water

To serve:

  • Extra cocoa powder or icing sugar, confectioner’s or powdered sugar
  • Whipped cream, or ice-cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). Put a kettle of water on to boil.
  • For the sponge: In a large bowl mix together sugar and cocoa powder (it’s best to sift the cocoa to avoid big lumps later on!).
  • Melt the butter and mix in with the sugar and cocoa powder. Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined.
  • Add in the milk and vanilla, then mix well (it will be very thick, so I suggest using an electric beater).
  • Spoon the mixture into a casserole type dish (around 20 x 25cm or 8 x 10 inch) so it comes no more than a third of the way up the side (you will need the extra room for the water), and level it off with the back end of a spoon.
  • For the sauce: In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the brown and white sugar, as well as the cocoa powder (crush any large lumps in the brown sugar). Layer this dry mixture evenly over the surface of the pudding.
  • Now, carefully pour the boiling water across the surface of the mixture (to avoid disturbing the layer beneath, gently pour the boiling water over an upturned spoon).
  • Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes (start checking from 30 minutes). The sponge will be dry to the touch, cracking and pulling away from the sides of the dish, with the sauce bubbling up around it. Take the pudding out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.
  • To serve: Serve either warm, or at room temperature, or cold from the fridge the next morning with a dusting of cocoa or icing sugar and lashings of whipped cream!

Nutrition

Calories: 583kcalCarbohydrates: 112gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 408mgPotassium: 202mgFiber: 3gSugar: 87gVitamin A: 461IUCalcium: 238mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Pudding, Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding
Tried this recipe?Let us know how if you liked it in the comments below!

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Susan, AKA Kiwicook
About The Author
Susan, also known as the Kiwi Cook, hails from Levin, New Zealand, and has a unique Kiwi-Dutch-British heritage that influenced her culinary upbringing. As an artist, tutor, writer, and editor, Susan dedicates her weekends to creating delectable dishes. Her food philosophy embraces moderation and listening to her body's needs.

Comments

  1. Yum I love this pudding, I’m 5 kg away from my goal weight (lost 12 kg so far) but I might just splurge and make this in the weekend ?

    Reply
    • Gosh, good on you Stacey – that’s a LOT of weight! Sorry for providing the temptation – hope you think it’s worth it!

      Reply
      • A lot of exercise, salad and coleslaw and NO pasta rice potatoes or sugar

        Reply
        • I recently lost 5kg by stopping caffeine, sugars and grains/gluten – it certainly works, though hard to maintain when you love treats as much as I do!

          Reply
          • well done! Yes I went hard core, I allow myself to odd treat cos you have to, but it’s one chocolate, not half a block, three biscuits, not most of a packet. I haven’t baked at all cos there is only me to feed ?

          • Good for you! My problem is I have no restraint – I can’t just stop at one chocolate!

  2. This looks like a HUGE recipe. I’m surprised it’s listed as having only 6 helpings. I would prefer to halve the cake part because it sounds like too much for the amount of sauce., but that’s not practical. And of course I could be wrong. I’ll come back with an honest assessment when I’ve actually managed to make the pudding. I’m hoping to do that later this afternoon for my dinner guest, who didn’t give me enough time to prepare for entertaining guests. Most people don’t. It never occurs to them that you can’t get to the supermarket at the drop of a hat when it’s 25km away, especially if you don’t drive and need to cajole your better half into doing the driving for you.

    Reply
    • Hi Laraine. It looks huge, but it’s not really. The sponge part itself is fairly thin, and it sits on top of the sauce of which there’s quite a lot. I’ve made it a few times now and it comfortably feeds six, but maybe we like good sized servings! You can always keep any left-overs for a yummy cold dessert the next day. Good luck!

      Reply
      • You are right, Susan. It’s not that huge. But the three of us still didn’t eat half of it. Anyway, this is what I did. I put 3 TB of cocoa in the cake part and 6 in the sauce and instead of baking it I steamed it. Steamed puddings are so much easier for the cook to deal with (no fear of them overcooking) especially if they come ready with a sauce and I therefore don’t have to make custard. It came out really lovely and there was actually more sauce than in most other recipes I’ve tried. The only other change I will make is to reduce the sugar in the sauce. Despite my extra cocoa I did find it too sweet.

        Reply

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