Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding Cake
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.
MAGICAL.
This one is about gratefulness more than naughtiness & yumminess since it’s almost Christmas. Are you game?
God granted Eric and I a child. One. A son. Nate. And he’s the apple of our eyes. I know I’ve mentioned him sometimes and hope it was never too much. (If it was, forgive me). A couple of years ago, Nate decided to join his high school football team. He never played a down before he joined. Like ever. After a long career in basketball, he all of sudden wanted to start playing football? We were unsure.
The thing is, it wasn’t really sudden for him. He thought long and hard about it for a while. As a true phlegmatic guy, Nate doesn’t operate on impulse. However for us, it felt like such a switch. From indoor sports to outdoor? Swift and electric to strategic, full contact and super physical? We looked at each other and said, “Okay Nate. Play football.” Then, it all began. Playing football for the first time in his sophomore year. People thought he was too old to start. But we believed differently.
Fast forward: with two seasons under his belt, his varsity team just won the state championship! We were blown away. We saw our kid out there on the field, playing his heart out. We cheered. Mostly for the man he’s becoming more and more to be. A man with character and grit. We were humbled, and truly grateful. This is more than just parenting, an awesome sports program and great coaching, friend … This is grace!
So, our weekend was totally booked with the state championship game and football banquet. Celebrations and worship were among all the potpourri of activities. Today, I am totally spent. So, I thought I should make something rather easy. Comforting. Sweet. A bit naughty. But totally gratifying.
I remember having a self saucing chocolate pudding in Australia many years ago. So, I dug and dug not only for a delicious, but easy recipe to share with you: Donna Hay’s Seasons Coffee and Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding.
Guys, on a frosty fall or winter night, this hot, absolutely indulgent pudding is perfection. You can’t ask for any better or easier dessert to make. It’s soul-soothing and delightful; it has the ability to warm you up from the inside out. It’s chocolate … Umh …
Hey friends, thank you for ‘listening’ about me ‘bragging’ about my kid. With this little blurb about Nate, my hope is that if you’re a parent, to listen to your kids. Often times we don’t, because we believe that we know more, better. We ‘know’ what’s best for them. Let’s give them a chance to explain, to show, to prove and to choose. You and me together 🙂
Adapted from Donna Hay’s Seasons
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- ¼ cup ground almonds
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
- 1½ tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup water
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg and vanilla. Set aside. In a small bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Add coffee and almonds and ¼ cup sugar. Gradually add the milk mixture and whisk until well combined.
- In a 4 cup capacity, oven proof skillet, add the rest of the sugar, cocoa and water over medium heat. Stir until sugar completely dissolves and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the coffee milk mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm to touch. Serve with whip cream or your favorite vanilla ice cream.
