Nicky Ryan
Dressed with a dusting of cocoa and revealing a rich, molten chocolate centre, these individual chocolate puddings make the perfect dessert to finish a feast. Extra coffee beans are optional, but a gooey inside is not.
Ingredients
Makes 8
Melted unsalted butter, for greasing
1 tbsp espresso instant coffee
½ cup boiling water
200g dark chocolate, chopped
150g unsalted butter, chopped
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
⅔ cup plain flour
Dutch cocoa, for dusting
Coffee beans, for decorating (optional)
Whipped or pouring cream, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease 8 x 180ml-capacity ceramic ramekins with butter. Dissolve coffee in boiling water and let cool.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk together eggs, yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Whisk in melted chocolate mixture, then coffee, then flour. Be careful not to overbeat.
Spoon mixture into ramekins until ¾ full. Place on an oven tray and bake for 13-15 minutes or until cakes come away from sides of moulds. Puddings should form a crisp shell on top, but be gooey inside. Allow to stand for 2 minutes before gently inverting onto serving plates. Dust with cocoa and, if desired, top with coffee beans. Serve immediately with cream.
