Chocolate puddings with chilli chocolate sauce

Recipe

Serves: makes 8 puddings

Cooking and preparation

• Preparations time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• For the chocolate puddings

• 140g/5oz butter, softened, plus extra melted butter for greasing
• 140g/5oz caster sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 110g/4oz self-raising flour
• 55g/2oz cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp milk

• For the chilli chocolate sauce

• 100g/3½oz dark chocolate
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 orange, juice and zest
• few drops Tabasco, to taste

• For the mascarpone cream

• 250g/8oz mascarpone
• 110ml/4fl oz double cream
• 1 orange, zest only (use zest from orange listed above)
• 2 tsp icing sugar, or to taste

• To serve

• 1 orange, segmented

• You'll also need a muffin tin

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

2. Grease eight wells of a non-stick muffin tin with the melted butter.

3. Place the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until light and creamy.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, adding another when the previous one is completely incorporated.

5. Place the flour in a bowl and, using a sieve, sift the cocoa powder into the flour, to remove any lumps. Add the flour and cocoa to the processor and blend.

6. Add the milk and pulse briefly until just mixed. (If preparing ahead of time you can make the recipe up until this stage and bake the puddings later.)

7. Spoon the cake mix into the prepared muffin wells. They should be three-quarters filled.

8. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. They should still be very soft in the middle.

9. Meanwhile, make the chocolate chilli sauce. Place the chocolate and the golden syrup in a glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water.

10. While the chocolate is melting, zest the orange, then juice it. Keep the zest to one side and add the orange juice to the melting chocolate. Stir. Add the Tabasco to taste and stir again.

11. For the orange mascarpone cream, add the reserved orange zest to the mascarpone, followed by the double cream. Whisk together with a balloon whisk. Add icing sugar, to taste, and stir thoroughly.

12. Segment an orange.

13. To serve, carefully cut around the edges of the muffin tins with a palette knife to remove the puddings, then place on individual plates. Spoon over the hot chocolate sauce and the mascarpone cream and garnish with some orange segments.

Step by step

1. 

   Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
2. 

   Step 2

   Grease eight wells of a non-stick muffin tin with the melted butter.
3. 

   Step 3

   Place the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until light and creamy.
4. 

   Step 4

   Add the eggs one at a time, adding another when the previous one is completely incorporated.
5. 

   Step 5

   Place the flour in a bowl and, using a sieve, sift the cocoa powder into the flour, to remove any lumps. Add the flour and cocoa to the processor and blend.
6. 

   Step 6

   Add the milk and pulse briefly until just mixed.
7. 

   Step 7

   Spoon the cake mix into the prepared muffin wells. They should be three-quarters filled.
8. 

   Step 8

   Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. They should still be very soft in the middle.
9. 

   Step 9

   Meanwhile, make the chocolate chilli sauce. Place the chocolate and the golden syrup in a glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water.
10. 

    Step 10

    While the chocolate is melting, zest the orange, then juice it. Keep the zest to one side and add the orange juice to the melting chocolate. Stir. Add the Tabasco to taste and stir again.
11. 

    Step 11

    For the orange mascarpone cream, add the reserved orange zest to the mascarpone, followed by the double cream. Whisk together with a balloon whisk. Add icing sugar, to taste, and stir thoroughly.
12. 

    Step 12

    Segment an orange.
13. 

    Step 13

    To serve, carefully cut around the edges of the muffin tins with a palette knife to remove the puddings, then place on individual plates. Spoon over the hot chocolate sauce and the mascarpone cream and garnish with some orange segments.