Tag: Pudding

Chocolate mousse

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

The fluffiest of desserts, this 80s dinner party classic is surely ready for a revival. Scrunchies are back, so this definitely deserves another chance. This was the first recipe I ever made on my own and I was so proud of it! Serve with cream and fresh raspberries. Makes 6

  • 6 eggs
  • 180g dark chocolate
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  1. Melt the chocolate and cool slightly
  2. Separate the eggs
  3. In a scrupulously clean bowl, whisk the whites into soft peaks. Then add the sugar a tsp at a time, whisking all the while, until stiff and glossy
  4. Beat the yolks into the melted chocolate until smooth
  5. Whisk in a third of the egg white to the chocolate mixture to loosen it up, then carefully fold in the rest
  6. For full retro points, spoon gently into individual glasses and chill to set

Apple almond pudding

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

The cosiest of puddings – a layer of tart cooked apple topped with a sweet, dense almond sponge.

  • 3 bramley apples
  • 40g soft light brown sugar
  • 1 eating apple
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 110g unsalted butter, softened
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 110g ground almonds
  1. Pre-heat oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. Peel and core the apples. Slice the bramleys into half moons and finely dice the eating apples
  3. Place the bramley slices in a saucepan with the brown sugar and 2 tbsp cold water. Simmer gently until softened but not collapsed, stirring occasionally
  4. Tip the cooked apples into a deep ceramic baking dish and gently stir in the diced apple and cinnamon
  5. In a bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy
  6. Beat in the eggs a little at a time to avoid the mixture splitting
  7. When the mixture is light, airy and creamy, gently fold in the ground almonds
  8. Carefully spread this mixture over the apples and smooth the surface out
  9. Bake for an hour until the top is deeply golden and set.
  10. Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream

Strawberry mousse

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A retro classic. Cloud-like wafts of pale pink, strawberry-flavoured fluff. Light, summery, the perfect end to a feast. Makes 6

  • 350g strawberries
  • 2 tsp icing sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 150ml double cream
  1. Puree the strawberries and mix with the icing sugar, then sieve to remove the pips
  2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and then add the caster sugar a tsp at a time
  3. Continue whisking until you have stiff, glossy peaks
  4. In another bowl, whisk the double cream to soft peaks
  5. Fold the cream gently into the egg whites, then fold in the strawberry puree
  6. Spoon the mousse into individual glasses and chill for at least 2 hours before serving

You can make it with any other soft fruit if you prefer. Recommend raspberries or apricots

Chocolate topsy turvy pudding

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A delectable pudding where a combination of cocoa powder, hot water and sugar poured over the top of a chocolate sponge batter magically sinks below the surface while it bakes to make a rich sauce underneath. Serve the hot pudding with vanilla ice cream and everyone will be your friend!

  • 175g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
  • 300g soft light brown sugar
  • 3 large free-range eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 175g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder, plus 2 tbsp
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch salt
  • 3 tbsp milk
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Grease the inside of an ovenproof dish with a butter
  3. Cream the butter with 225g of the soft light brown sugar until pale and light, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula from time to time to make sure you catch it all
  4. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and then add the vanilla extract and mix again to combine
  5. Sift the flour, 40g cocoa, bicarb and a pinch of salt into the mixture and mix again until just combined
  6. Add the milk and mix again until smooth
  7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and level with the back of a spoon
  8. Now for the sauce! In a small bowl mix together the remaining 75g soft light brown sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 6 tbsp hot water
  9. Spoon this chocolatey syrup over the chocolate sponge mixture and place the dish in a large, deep roasting tin.
  10. Boil the kettle and pour boiling water into the tin, around the dish so that the water comes halfway up the sides of the dish.
  11. Carefully slide the roasting tin into the oven on the middle shelf.
  12. Bake for about 40 mins, or until the pudding is well-risen, the top is nicely cracked and a skewer inserted into the middle of the pudding comes out with a moist crumb.

Fruit slump

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A New England tradition and a beautiful way to use up any slightly-past-its-best fruit. Except bananas, but you can make banana bread with those. My fave versions is with apricots or peaches, but almost any fruit works. Feeds 2 with leftovers. Or possibly just seconds.

  • Poached fruit
  • 45g caster sugar
  • 100g flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 40g butter, cold
  • 80 ml milk
  • 1 tbsp flaked almonds
  • Flavour with orange zest, cinnamon, almond or vanilla extract – whatever works with the fruit you’ve chosen
  1. Pre-heat oven to 170C fan.
  2. Put fruit into an overproof dish
  3. Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and flavourings into a bowl
  4. Grate in the butter and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs
  5. Stir in the milk to make a soft dough
  6. Blob large spoonfuls (slumps!) of the mixture over the fruit and scatter with almonds.
  7. Put the dish onto an oven tray and bake for 30 mins until the topping is crisp and golden.