To test if the pudding's cooked, pierce the foil and paper with a skewer and wiggle it to make the hole bigger, or it will be wiped clean of any mixture when you pull it out.

Ingredients

  • 175 g self-raising flour
  • 3 tblsp cocoa powder
  • 75 g butter, soft
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 120 ml milk

Method

  • Butter a 1.1-litre (2 pints) pudding basin.
  • Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, butter and sugar.
  • Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk.
  • Spoon into the prepared basin.
  • Cover with a lid or pleated greaseproof paper or foil and secure with string.
  • Steam for 1.5-2 hours.

Notes

Place a handful of raspberries or dark chocolate chips into the base of the pudding bowl before adding the batter. Tips for Steaming: To allow enough room for the pudding to expand while it's cooking, it's important that you make a pleat in the centre of the paper and the foil. To prevent water from getting into the mixture, which would make the pudding soggy, make sure you secure the foil with string and fold the foil back over the string. To support the weight of the pudding, make sure you secure the kitchen string tightly to both sides of the basin when you're making the handle. To test if the pudding's cooked, pierce the foil and paper with a skewer and wiggle it to make the hole bigger, or it will be wiped clean of any mixture when you pull it out.