Chocolate Steamed Pud

Apr 24, 2020

Fancy a wee trip down memory lane? I recently re-discovered the delights of the steamed pud after being estranged from it for decades. Now I’m making up for lost time. This is a great lockdown pud. A real heart and tum gladdener. When you steam a sponge mixture gently and slowly for a long time, something wonderful happens to it. Flavours meld and the consistency becomes smooth and so, so comforting.

Steam puddings are surprisingly simple beasts to create too – they’re just a combo of eggs, butter, sweetener and a low carb flour basically –plus you can steam them in a slow cooker, if you’ve got one. Just pop the little beaut in one of these, do some laps around your house and garden for 3 or 4 hours, and you’ll come back to an edible work of art.

If you’ve not got a slow cooker, no problema - you can steam slowly the traditional way in a pan of simmering water on the cooker. It’ll be ready sooner too. You just need to keep your eye on it from time to time when its simmered on the cooker top, to make sure the water doesn’t boil dry.

This pud would be nice as it is, served warm with a little cream or yogurt. I made it with a chocolate sauce which I’ve given ingredients for below. If you want to tip it right over the edge into ecstasy, scatter a few raspberries over the top.

Serves 4 peeps

For the pud topping:
70g 90% cocoa solid chocolate
1 tsp coconut nectar (or other natural syrup sweetener)
100ml single cream (soya or dairy)

For the sponge:
120g butter
4 tbsp birch xylitol
4 eggs
150g almond flour
30g cocoa powder (sifted)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dark rum (optional)
2 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch salt

To make the pudding base:
Put the eggs, sweeteners, vanilla, rum and melted butter into a bowl and whisk well until frothy.
Add the almond flour, baking powder, cocoa and a pinch of salt.  Mix well.
Pour the batter into a buttered pyrex bowl.
Cover the pudding bowl with a lid made of baking paper, covered with foil. Tie securely.  Make a hole in the top with a knife.
Got a slow cooker?
Stand the pudding bowl in the slow cooker pot and fill to halfway up the pudding bowl with cold water. Put the slow cooker on high and cook for 3 hours – or until a knife comes out middle of the pudding clean.
Not got a slow cooker?
Stand the pudding bowl on top of an up turned bowl inside a saucepan.
Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the pudding bowl.
Bring to the boil.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Leave to steam for 2 hours. Top up with water if the water level gets too low. Check its cooked the same way with a knife in the middle of the pud.
When its ready turn out onto a plate.

To make the sauce:
Break the chocolate into pieces in a pyrex bowl.
Put the bowl in a pan of simmering water over a gentle heat.
As soon as the chocolate is melted, stir in the sweetener and slowly stir in the cream until it has reached a smooth pourable consistency. Pour straight over the top of the pudding.