Steamed Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pudding (Deryni Rising Pudding)

[Bynw]

Steamed Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pudding

(Deryni Rising Pudding)

(This recipe is from the London Sunday Times. Conversions from grams to ounces are approximate, but weight conversions have been checked.)

This is everything you would wish for in a winter Pudding: the glorious puff of steam as it is inverted onto the serving dish, then the satisfyingly firm yet soft texture. And finally, there is chocolate. (Serves six.)

175g (2/3 c.) self-raising flour
2 heaped T. cocoa powder
125g butter
125g (3/4 c.) golden caster sugar(light brown granulated sugar)
2 large eggs
65g (2.3 oz.) dark, 55-65% cocoa solids chocolate, chopped
75g (2.6 oz.) unsalted Macadamia nuts, toasted & chopped into large chunks
3 T. milk
pouring cream, to serve

Sift flour & cocoa powder in a bowl. (Sifting is not really necessary; just get any lumps out of the cocoa.)

In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until pale & fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little of the flour mixture with the second egg. Fold in remaining flour mixture & combine gently but thoroughly.

Fold in chocolate chunks & nuts with milk. (I add ~1/2 t. of vanilla.)

Spoon mixture into a buttered 1 litre (about 1 quart) pudding basin. Cover with double layer of buttered foil, pleated in center to allow for rising. Tie the foil with string, then place in a steamer or a large saucepan so that hot water comes halfway up the sides of the basin. (OR spoon the mixture into a buttered plastic pudding basin with proper snap-on lid. We've also tried it in a straight-sided metal canister with lid, set in a water-bath in a crock pot, and it worked brilliantly: cooks in far less time, with far less monitoring to make sure nothing boils dry. A slow cooker probably would also work well.)

Steam for 11/2 to 2 hours, (note: Pudding may take 3 hours) topping up with hot water as necessary.

Remove foil, loosen edges of pudding with knife or spatula, & carefully invert onto a serving plate. (Or serve from basin.)

Serve with cream.