Ingredients
- 1 heaped cup frozen fresh pitted cherries, defrosted, plus extra cherries, to decorate
- 1 firm, ripe pear
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup sultanas
- 7 tblsps brandy
- 100g bar 70% dark chocolate
- 100g unsalted butter, plus 2 tblsps for greasing
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup plain flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tblsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- Dollop cream, to serve
CHOCOLATE BRANDY SAUCE:
- 100g bar 70% dark chocolate
- ½ cup thickened cream, plus extra to serve
- 2 tblsps golden syrup
- 3 tblsps brandy (optional)
Method
-
Drain the cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Cut them in half. Peel pear, then coarsely grate.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cherries, pear, raisins, sultanas and brandy. Stir well and cover with plastic wrap.
3. Heat in microwave on high for 3 minutes, then leave to cool for 5 minutes to let fruit plump up. Break chocolate into squares while you wait.
4. Stir chocolate and butter into hot fruit until melted. Let cool, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, rub 1 tblsp butter around the inside of a 1-litre pudding steamer.
5. Lay two sheets of foil over each other and butter the one on top. Holding both sheets together, fold a 3cm pleat across the middle of the foil and set aside.
Lay two sheets of foil over each other and butter the one on top. Holding both sheets together, fold a 3cm pleat across the middle of the foil and set aside.
- Beat eggs in a small bowl. Sift the flour, mixed spice and cocoa powder on top of the chocolatey fruit, then add breadcrumbs, sugar and eggs. Mix well – it will be quite a wet mixture. Spoon into prepared steamer. Smooth over top.
- Cover pudding with buttered foil (buttery-side down), scrunching it over the edge of steamer. Tie firmly with string to secure.
- Trim foil so that a frill of about 5cm is left sticking out, then tuck the frill up and under itself neatly. The aim is to keep the pudding watertight beneath.
- Put steamer on a heatproof saucer in a large stockpot. Add enough boiling water to pot to come halfway up the side of steamer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Boil gently for about 2 hours, 30 minutes, or until pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer through the foil – if there is any wet mixture, steam for 15 minutes more, then check again. Top up the water level as it cooks, if you need to.
- To reheat, steam in pot for 30 minutes, or microwave, covered with plastic wrap on medium for 5 minutes.
- For the sauce, break the chocolate into squares. Place all the ingredients in a small pan and heat gently, stirring, until smooth.
- Serve the pudding topped with extra cherries, sauce and dollop cream.
