Chocolate, bread & butter pudding

Recipe adapted from here (serves 6)

White bread- 10 to 11 slices, crusts removed 

Dark chocolate- 50 gms, roughly chopped

Milk chocolate- 100 gms, roughly chopped

Cocoa powder- 2 tbsp (good quality dark one like Green & Blacks)

Butter- 75 gms, cut into cubes

Double cream- 450 ml

Dark rum- 4 tbsp (optional)

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp (optional)

Caster sugar- 80 gms

Cinnamon- a generous pinch

Eggs- 3

Slice each of the bread slices diagonally to get 4 triangles. Bread that is a day or two old would be ideal.

Place the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa powder, butter, cream, rum (if using),  sugar and cinnamon in a heat proof bowl and melt over barely simmer water. Make sure the bowl doesnt touch the water.

Using a spatula, mix well until the chocolate, butter and sugar have completely melted.

Take it off heat, add the vanilla extract, and using a balloon whisk, give the chocolate mix a good beating to emulsify it and bring everything together.

Once slightly cool, add the eggs into the mix, one by one, beating well after each addition. You can also whisk all 3 eggs in a separate bowl and tip into the chocolate as well.

Pour about an inch of chocolate sauce into a rectangle/square oven proof dish.

Arrange a layer of bread triangles over the chocolate in rows, in an overlapping manner.

Pour half of the remaining chocolate sauce over the bread, as evenly as possible, and using a fork, gently press the bread slices down so it gets covered with the sauce.

Place the final layer of bread triangles and pour over all the remaining chocolate sauce, again making sure the bread is properly covered with sauce.

Cover the dish with cling film and place at room temp for 2 hours and then transfer to the refrigerator for a minimum of 24hrs. This step is very important. The more it soaks the better.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 180C

Remove clingfilm and bake the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes.

The top would be a bit crunchy, while the inside would be gooey.

Leave to stand for about 10 minutes, after which you can scoop into dessert bowl and have with cold custard or pouring cream.

Notes: Original recipe called for 150 gms of dark chocolate. I bought milk chocolate by accident and hence had to compensate with cocoa and reducing the sugar so it wasnt cloyingly sweet. 

If using 150gms of dark chocolate, omit the cocoa and milk chocolate, and increase the caster sugar amount to 110 gms.

This dessert is not overly sweet. It was just perfect for our liking, but if youd like it sweeter then increase the caster sugar amount.

The best part of this pudding is that it can be prepared ahead and when ready to serve can be chucked into the oven to serve warm.

Stays fine covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.