Chocolate bread and butter pudding

The kids loved helping to make this, it was really simple and delicious hot or cold. I think they were a bit disappointed that as there’s no batter mix like with a cake, there wasn’t a bowl to lick out at the end…

Serves 6-8

 

Ingredients

Half a stale white baguette

Butter

100g chocolate chips

50g raisins

2 tblsps cocoa powder

90g caster sugar

5 eggs

2 and a quarter pints of milk (soya is fine)

Equipment

Large, shallow lasagne dish

Roasting tin, big enough that the lasagne dish fits into it

Method

1) Slice the bread into 1 inch thick pieces and spread thickly with butter.

2)Grease the lasagne dish, then arrange the bread in overlapping rows in the dish.

3)Sprinkle with chocolate chips and raisins

4)Add the cocoa powder to a quarter of a pint of milk and stir into a smooth paste.

5)To make the custard, beat the eggs thoroughly, then whisk in the caster sugar. Stir in the cocoa mixture and the remaining 2 pints of milk.

6)Spoon the custard over the bread and allow to soak for 5 minutes.

7)Put the lasagne dish into the roasting tin, then add water so that the sides of the lasagne dish are halfway covered.

8)Put in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 50mins. Check regularly, do not allow to dry out. The pudding is ready when the custard is lightly set and the top is browned. To check insert a sharp knife into the centre. If the custard is still runny, bake for another 10 mins. Serve warm with custard, ice cream or cream.

Mini Orange and Chocolate Rock Buns

These turn out about bite size, and are so tasty that they’re never around for long in our house. My son loves helping to make these and particularly likes hitting the chocolate with the rolling pin.

Makes around 20

 

Ingredients

225g self raising flour

125g margarine or butter

75g caster sugar

50g good quality dark chocolate

Grated zest of 3 satsumas (or 1 orange)

1 beaten egg

2 tblsps orange juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

 

Method

1)Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Put the flour and margarine in a bowl and rub together until a breadcrumb like consistency is achieved. Stir in the sugar.

2)Place the chocolate in a plastic sandwich bag or wrap in cling film. Put this on a heavy wooden chopping board and smash with a rolling pin until you have created lots of little chocolate chunks.

3)Stir in the zest and chocolate chunks.

4)Add the beaten egg, orange juice and vanilla essence and stir. This will create a thick, sticky dough.

5)Grease two baking trays, and using two forks drop rough blobs of the mixture onto the tray. Leave a reasonable distance between them as they will spread a little as they bake.

6)Place in the oven for 10-12 mins or until golden brown all over. Cool on a wire rack and serve slightly warm.

Double chocolate and peanut butter cup cakes with chocolate icing

Makes approx. 20. These are really tasty and little ones will love helping to bash the chocolate into chunks and make the cake mix. They make a great alternative to the usual fairy cakes.

Ingredients:

For the cake

125g butter or margarine

125g caster sugar

2 eggs

2 tblsps crunchy peanut butter

125g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tblsps cocoa powder

3 tblsps milk

75g dark chocolate

For the icing

60g good dark chocolate

60g butter or margarine

90g icing sugar

Glace cherries

Method:

First make the cake

1) Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric whisk.

2)Add the eggs and beat until thoroughly mixed.

3)Mix in the peanut butter.

4)Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder then add to the mixture and whisk until mixed.

5) The mixture should have reached a dropping consistency. When you drop a teaspoon of it back into the bowl, it shouldn’t be runny but should drop easily from the spoon. It should be thick and unctuous. If it is too thick, add a little of the milk, if it is too thin add a little flour.

6)Place the dark chocolate in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin until it is all broken up into small chunks. Stir it into the mixture.

7)Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 12 hole cake tin with paper cups. Place 2 teaspoons of the mixture in each paper cup and bake for 15-20 min until soft and springy to the touch. Take out of the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Now make the icing

1)Break the chocolate into pieces, put it in a heat proof bowl and zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until evenly melted. If necessary, zap for another 10 seconds and stir again.

2)Cream together butter and icing sugar until light.

3)Add melted chocolate and beat again. Use the icing whilst still warm as it will set once cooled.

4)Using 2 teaspoons spoon the icing onto the cakes and swirl. Add a glace cherry to each cake.