Pistachio and Chocolate Pud

Make this beautiful chocolate pudding recipe for someone special on Valentine's Day.

Serves 2, plus leftovers
Takes 25 minutes to make and 25 minutes to bake

Ingredients

• 120g slightly salted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 120g caster sugar
• 50g unsalted shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely ground, plus extra, sliced, to decorate
• 30g self-raising flour
• 40g good cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 medium organic eggs, beaten
• 4 tbsp milk
• 6 chunks of your favourite chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a 20cm heart-shaped cake tin (or see tip). Make the pudding. Using an electric hand whisk, cream the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add all the other ingredients (except the chocolate) and mix well. Tip into the tin or heart-shaped case.

Tip

You'll find 20cm heart-shaped cake tins in most cookware shops. If not, grease a 20cm round sandwich tin, make a long sausage from kitchen foil, shape into a firm heart and fit snugly inside the tin. Line the foil with baking paper to make a heart-shaped case.

2. Press the chunks of chocolate randomly into the mixture and bake for 25 minutes or until just set but still gooey in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.

3. Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients into a heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Heat slowly until the chopped chocolate and butter have melted and the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 minute.

4. Make a message with chocolate letters, if you like (look for Supercook Chocolate Letters, from major supermarkets). Drizzle the pudding with the sauce and sprinkle with the extra pistachio nuts. Leftovers will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.

source: © delicious. magazine