Squidgy chocolate pear pudding

Squidgy chocolate pear pudding

By Justine Pattison
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(40 ratings)
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Prep: 20 mins Cook: 35 mins

Easy

Serves 8

This hot, gooey chocolate pud, with dark chocolate and canned pears, can be made ahead and frozen - a perfect no-fuss dinner party dessert

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal513
  • fat30g
  • saturates17g
  • carbs53g
  • sugars43g
  • fibre4g
  • protein6g
  • salt1g
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Ingredients

  • 200g butter, plus extra for greasing
    Butter

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

  • 300g golden caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

  • 75g plain flour
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 410g can pear halves in juice, drained
    Pear

    Pear

    pair

    Like apples, to which they are related, pears come in thousands of varieties, of which only a…

  • 100g plain dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
    Dark chocolate soup pots with double cream in spoons

    Dark chocolate

    dahk chok-o-let

    Dark chocolate means the shiny, dark-reddish brown treat produced from the cacao bean, theobroma…

  • 25g flaked almonds (optional)
  • cream or ice cream, to serve
    Cream

    Cream

    cree-m

    Fresh unpasteurised milk quickly separates and the fat rises to the top. This fat layer is then…

Method

  1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Lightly grease a roughly 20 x 30cm shallow ovenproof dish. Put the butter in a large saucepan and place over a low heat until just melted. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the sugar until well combined.

  2. Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar, beating well with a wooden spoon in between each addition. Sift the flour and cocoa powder on top of the egg mixture, then beat hard with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

  3. Pour into the prepared tin or dish and nestle the pears into the chocolate batter. Put the chocolate on a board and cut into chunky pieces roughly 1.5cm with a large knife. Scatter the chocolate pieces over the batter and sprinkle with almonds, if you like. Can be frozen at this stage.

  4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 mins or until the mixture is crusty on the surface and lightly cooked inside. Do not allow to overcook, as the cake will become spongy rather than gooey in the centre. Serve warm with cream or ice cream

  • Recipe Tip

    To freeze

    Wrap the cooled, unbaked pudding tightly in foil, label and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, unwrap the pudding and bake from frozen as above in step 4 for 50 mins.

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Comments, questions and tips

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Monica88
29th Jun, 2018
5.05
When you don't have much time, but you want (need) something sweet.
Dakini Melete's picture
Dakini Melete
30th Mar, 2018
5.05
I’m not a desert maker. This is easy and turns out delicious. All my guests have loved it.
Aga girl
18th Mar, 2018
1.3
This is a very sweet pudding and I don't think the extra chocolate on top is necessary. I served it with plenty of whipped cream to offset the sweetness.
Cheney85
21st Jun, 2017
5.05
Delicious, quick and simple. Made a half batch for 4 people and just about the right amount. Didn't bother with almonds.
nattorama's picture
nattorama
30th Apr, 2017
5.05
We make this a lot. Husband loves it. Mother in law loves it. EVERYONE loves it. Happy days!
cogenhoe89
18th Mar, 2017
5.05
Just made this. So easy. I used dairy-free sunflower spread and gluten-free plain flour. It rose nicely. cooked it for 40 minutes and let it cool for about 15. Gooey but set in the middle like brownie should be. Some of us in the family like ginger and I think that adding very finely chopped stem ginger would be tasty. Will make this again!
lucieflint
5th Mar, 2017
5.05
Delicious and easy to make, a real crowd pleaser - went down a storm with the family after Sunday lunch. Definitely making this again. Thumbs up!
sophrbk
15th Feb, 2017
5.05
This recipe is brilliant! I made it for Valentine's Day and did half the ingredients to make the dessert for four (though it was really for two... we saved a bit to eat the day after ;) ). It was very quick and simple, only took about 15 minutes to prepare everything, I got everything done and left it ready to pop in the oven after our main course. I made a few little adjustments: I swapped the canned pears for fresh pears, and as my boyfriend forget to stock up on eggs (typical) I used one egg and then a tablespoon of oil, a bit of water and a bit of baking powder. Made no difference that I could tell! Lovely and gooey and a big hit with my chocolate-loving other half :) Would definitely make it again for a dinner party.
milliana_13
3rd Jan, 2017
5.05
I made this on New Years day for a family meal, it was lovely! Added a tsp of baking powder and cooked for 45 mins at 180. Brilliant new staple dessert.
cmdcishe
19th Dec, 2016
3.8
lovely, easy dessert to make. halved quantity. the chocolate sponge mix does seem only enough for 2 servings. But found that once I split the cake mix, pieces of pears and then topped with chocolate pieces (which will melt) there was more than enough for 4 servings. cooked for 30mins in fan oven, turned heat off but left desserts in oven to cook a little longer. Yummy!

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Nadia 76
20th Apr, 2018
I have frozen the batter in an oven proof dish. I’m worried if I put this dish into a hot oven from frozen it will crack. Should I defrost the batter then cook it in the usual way?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
22nd Apr, 2018
Thank you for your question. No, if the dish is ovenproof, it should be fine.
sammy_lou
25th Jan, 2018
Hi. Can the batter be made up the day before and stored in a container in the fridge? I'm thinking I might try transporting it "deconstructed" and then assemble in the dish for cooking the next day. would taht work? It's eiter that or cooking it the day before and warming through, but I don't want to over cook. Thanks.
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
29th Jan, 2018
Thanks for your question. We'd suggest trying our freezing suggesting. That way it will also be easier to transport. Wrap the cooled, unbaked pudding tightly in foil, label and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, unwrap the pudding and bake from frozen as above in step 4 for 50 mins.
carrielovesbbcg...
20th Dec, 2016
can you make them in individual moulds?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
20th Dec, 2016
Thanks for your question. You could make these in individual dishes but as we haven't tested the recipe ourselves we can't give you an exact cooking time. You'll need to keep an eye on them from around 10 - 12 mins. Let us know how you get on.
tweetie pie
3rd Oct, 2016
5.05
Hi, please could you let me know how long to cook for if making this in individual ramekins? Looks delicious, can't wait to try! :)
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
15th Oct, 2016
Hi Tweetie Pie, we haven't tested this one in ramekins so cannot give a precise time but would estimate 10 - 12 mins. You may need to experiment. Let us know if you give it a go!
angela524
4th Dec, 2015
If i used fresh pears, how long would i have to cook them for?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
14th Dec, 2015
It will rather depend on how ripe the pears are. If they are very ripe, you won't need to precook them at all. If they are quite firm cook them in a small amount of sugar syrup for 15-20 mins or until a cocktail stick can pierce them with little resistance. 
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