Chocolate Fudge Brownie Pudding

I always remember being really jealous of all the children at school who got to have school dinners (not that our school dinners were particularly fab or anything) but because they would always get some form of sweet, hot, pudding!! Whether it was rice pudding and jam, jam roly poly or chocolate sponge and custard. The smell of the rich chocolate sponge and thick, creamy custard was one that I spent most lunchtimes dreaming of. This is a classic pudding for days when you fancy something just that little bit more special and nostalgic. Warms you from the inside out.

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Ingredients

(Serves 2)

Sponge                                         Sauce

2oz butter                                     1/4 pint water

2oz caster sugar                          1.5oz brown sugar

1 egg                                            1.5 tbsp cocoa

30z self raising flour

1 tbsp cocoa

1 tbsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180degreesC. Grease an oven proof dish (I used a casserole dish, but you can use a cake tin if you prefer).

2. Cream the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in the egg and one tbsp of flour. Wait until this mixture is combined and then sift in the rest of the flour and cocoa powder. Pour and spread the mixture into the base of your greased oven proof dish.

3. Place the brown sugar, cocoa powder and water into a saucepan and heat slowly. Stir continuously until you can feel all of the sugar has dissolved and there is a thin sauce like consistency to the syrup.

4. Now, here is for the weird bit - pour the liquidy sauce OVER the cake mix. As the cake bakes and rises the sauce will soak into the sponge and end up underneath the pudding. It will look a bit odd and maybe some of the spong mixture will begin to flake off, but it will all come together in the end. Bake in the oven for 45mins or until the pudding has risen through the sauce and is cake like. Some of the sauce may still be visible - do not continue to cook despite this or the sponge will dry out.

5. Best served warm with either custard, ice cream or pouring cream.

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This pudding is completely effortless to make and can easily be made very last minute. Simply double the recipe to make enough for a family of 4 (or enough for seconds!) The smell of chocolate cake baking throughout the house is divine, although do not eat just before bed - it's a very stodgy pudding and will feel quite heavy especially if served with a PINT of custard (whooops, I admit, I have an OBSESSION with custard!)

Bon Appetit!!