Sticky Chocolate Pudding

This very English dessert came to me through my mother-in-law. I've seen several variations of this same recipe on the internet, but this ha to be my most favourite. It's not a treat for every day, but these little treats will never be turned away.

Best of all, you can freeze these in individual portions for up to 3 months. Then just take one or two out, thaw and heat in the oven. Make the toffee sauce on the day you want to eat these little gems.

Sticky Chocolate Pudding with a Mars Bar Sauce

Sticky Chocolate Pudding recipe

Ingredients:

Dates infusing with bicarbonate of soda

• 4 ounces stoned dates, chopped
  1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  1/2 pint water (10 fluid ounces)
  2 ounces butter, softened
  4 ounces castor sugar
  2 eggs, beaten
  5 ounces self-raising flour
  1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  3 ounces plain chocolate, melted
  4 ounces toffee, chopped

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C.
  
  Combine dates and bicarb with 1/2 pint water. Bring to a boil, then let stand for 10 minutes. Fill a

  

  Puddings cooking in bain marie

  roasting tin with 1 inch water and place in the oven. This creates a bain marie for cooking the puddings.
  
  Cream together butter and eggs. Sift flour and cocoa powder and gradually fold in to the egg/butter mixture. Fold in remaining ingredients, including the water.
  
  Divide into 6 moulds. Place in water in roasting tin. Bake 40 minutes, until set.
  
  Remove from the moulds, invert on a plate, pour the toffee sauce over the top, and serve hot.

Quick and Easy Toffee Sauce

2 Mars Bars (Milky Way bars)
1/2 pint double cream (whipping cream)

Chop up the candy bars into small pieces. Add to the cream in a pan and stir over a low heat until melted.

If you have a broiler/grill pan put the puddings under the grill for a few minutes until the sauce gets all bubbly and just begins to caramelise. Just invert them onto a tray that can be placed under the grill first.