Although I own many Nigella Lawson cookbooks (I just love her!) I don’t own this one, called How to Eat, published in 1709 according to Amazon. I probably should own it because her recipes are wonderful, like this one for sticky chocolate pudding. Of course when I saw this recipe online my mind went directly to sticky toffee pudding, which we love.

It turns out, according to Ms. Lawson: “This is a variant on lemon surprise pudding, in which the mixture divides on cooking to produce a sponge above the thick lemony sauce which forms below. Indeed, it is known in my house as Lemon Surprise Pudding: the surprise being that it’s chocolate.”

She adds: “Although I didn’t actually eat this as a child, it is heady with reminders of childhood foods: the hazelnuts in the sponge bring back memories of Nutella, the thick, dark, fudgy sauce of chocolate spread. It’s heavenly with fridge-cold double cream poured over it.”

I have never heard of lemon surprise pudding, but I’d much rather have a chocolate dessert, and I love the word “sticky” in the name!

I’ve made similar cakes by the well-known baker Richard Sax, and he referred to these as pudding cakes. It’s the same process, with hot water poured on top to produce a saucy, moist cake. I made a lemon pudding cake for the blog years ago.

I loved this “pudding,” but it’s impossible for me to not compare it to the sticky toffee version, which can’t be beat in my opinion!

Sticky Chocolate Pudding

Pudding
3 ounces dark chocolate
5 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1.7 ounces ground almond meal
7 ounces superfine sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
1 large egg
6 ounces whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sauce
6 ounces dark brown sugar
4 ounces unsweetened cocoa (sifted after measuring)

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Chop the chocolate roughly into pieces.

Put the flour, baking powder and cocoa into a bowl, stir in the ground nuts and sugar, and then add the chocolate pieces.

Whisk together the melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir well and once thoroughly mixed, spoon into a buttered dish. (Either a 20cm / 8 inch standard white soufflé dish or a shallow dish 23cm / 9 inches square).

Now for the sauce, put the kettle on, and mix together the cocoa and brown sugar and sprinkle over the top of the pudding mixture in the dish.

Measure out 2 cups of freshly boiled water into a jug and then pour over the top of the pudding. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. (It is worth checking after 35-40 minutes if it is in a shallow dish.) The top should be firm and springy to the touch.

Take out of the oven and serve immediately, making sure everyone gets some sponge and sauce in their bowl.

It is also good with some double cream on the side.

Definitely check the cake at 40 minutes; mine probably could have used a few less minutes in the oven. But with the sauce and cream it was not a problem!