Chocoholic’s Christmas pudding
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Chocoholic’s Christmas pudding

By Jane Hornby

Wow. A definite crowd pleaser – chocolate mousse hidden by a layer of chocolate sponge, covered with the best chocolate topping we’ve ever tasted

  • Prep:40 mins
    Cook:10 mins
    Plus chilling
  • Serves 8
  • A challenge

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 766
  • fat 60g
  • saturates 31g
  • carbs 52g
  • sugars 34g
  • fibre 3g
  • protein 11g
  • salt 0.64g

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 50g cocoa, plus extra for dusting the tin, sifted
  • 85g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
  • 50ml espresso or strong coffee
  • 2 tbsp Tia Maria, mix in with the coffee
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 175g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 200ml double cream
  • 142ml double cream
  • 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 tbsp Tia Maria
  • 1 tbsp espresso
  • chocolate-covered cocoa beans
  • dark and white chocolate curls

Tip

Before serving
Leave the pudding out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before serving to let the mousse relax to a chocolatey velvet.

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Butter a 22 x 31cm or similar Swiss roll tin, then line with buttered baking paper. Tip in 1 tbsp cocoa, turn the tin until it’s evenly coated, then tap out any excess.

  2. For the sponge, beat the eggs and sugar with electric beaters for 7 mins, or until thick enough to hold a trail. Fold in flour and cocoa, then swirl in butter and fold through. Tip into the tin, bake for 10 mins until just firm, then cool under a clean tea towel.

  3. For the mousse, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale. Melt the chocolate and loosely whip the cream until it just holds its shape. Quickly beat half the cream and all of the chocolate into the egg mix, then gently fold in the rest of the cream. Whisk the egg whites until softly peaked, then fold in.

  4. Grease a 1.4 litre/2½ pint basin with a little oil. Line with cling film, letting it overhang. To build the pudding, cut a circle of sponge to fit the bottom of the basin and put it in. Cut seven sloping rectangles about 10cm long from the sponge and fit them tightly together around the bowl. Sprinkle with most of the coffee and Tia Maria mix. Fill the bowl halfway with the mousse then, using what’s left of the sponge, top the mousse with a snug-fitting circle of cake. Sprinkle with remaining coffee mix. Spoon in the rest of the mousse, then cover with the overhanging cling film. Chill for at least 4 hrs until firm (ideally overnight), then turn onto a plate.

  5. For the topping, heat all the ingredients gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy. Spread all over the turned-out pudding, then top with the chocolate-coated cocoa beans and chocolate curls.

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