Friday, August 21, 2009

Chocolate-chestnut self-saucing puddings


Winter is back with its chilly temperature, violent winds and torrents of rain, which makes it the perfect day for warm, gooey chocolate pudding.

I will probably be making quite a few chocolate/decadent desserts whilst the last eleven days of Winter fly by, after all, it will not be back for another nine months and I doubt I shall want such heavy and self-indulgent desserts in warm weather.


ease: 4.5/5.
prep time:
30mins.
cooking time: 25mins.
total: 55mins.

taste:4/5. Hubby liked these even though he found them a bit rich. I am a chocoholic but I actually find desserts made with cocoa rather than chocolate too rich for me. I didn't have shallow 2cup bowls so I used 6 1 & 1/2cup ramekins so they took a little longer to cook.
The cake itself has a deep cocoa taste and is also a little dry, which is fine as there was plenty of the thick, also heavy, sauce at the bottom of the dish. I couldn't really taste the chestnut in the chocolate cakes, but it came through the cream (I didn't add the Marsala as I thought it might overpower the chestnut).
The sauce had a stronger Marsala taste, with the raisins, unless you actually bite into a raisin you can't taste them. These were lovely enough, but I couldn't eat more than 3 spoonfuls. I can't seem to find a Dutch-process cocoa which might give a different taste to the regular baking cocoa I use, and not make it as rich and overpowering.
Side note: I actually found these to be less rich the next day after being heated up in the microwave.

would I make it again: No. I'd prefer a chocolate molten/lava cake to a pudding with sauce down the bottom.

recipe: chocolate-chestnut self-saucing puddings

10 comments:

  1. Those puddings look indecently scrumptious! I love that paste!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. The picture is amazing. You could have sent to Jugalbandi for the bi color food photography event.

    Chocolate is a sinful pleasure which you used ti make into a pudding. Lovely.

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  3. I love your food photography :) Everything looks delicious that it makes me salivate!

    Will have to try some of these recipes one day!

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  4. Despite the fact that you'll not make them again, these look amazing! I love that chestnut paste in those beautiful french tins! I always keep the empty ones to grow herbs in cause they're so pretty.

    Your photographs are wonderful!

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  5. This might be my favorite dessert, I'm going to have to make this!!

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  6. great photos...as i sit here proofing the chocolate book galley. never can get enough of chocolate. beautiful, truly.

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  7. These are exactly what I'm craving. I only wish chestnut paste wasn't so difficult to find and expensive! Wonderful.

    Cheers,

    *Heather*

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  8. I really like the sound of the chocolate and chestnut combo and the pudding looks great!

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  9. I am a chocolate lover and the richer a dessert is, the happier I am! Thanks for sharing your recipe, it looks delicious!

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