Chocolate orange microwave pudding
This simple but very delicious chocolate orange dessert uses half a pack of sponge cake mix for speed and value. Top with melted orange-flavoured chocolate for a luxurious alternative to Christmas pudding.
If you already have some baking ingedients in your cupboard, you might prefer to make this from scratch rather than use cake mix. If so, here's a recipe using a homemade chocolate sponge mixture.
This recipe is part of the Budget Christmas Dinner Menu and the Budget vegetarian Christmas dinner menu, both serve four people three courses for under £17 (originally under £15. Recosted December 2023).
Ingredients
- vegetable oil, for greasing
- ½ x 400g pack chocolate sponge mix
- 1 medium egg
- ½ orange, finely grated zest only
- custard, cream or ice cream, to serve (see tip below)
For the topping
- 100g/3½oz orange flavoured milk chocolate, from a ball or bar, broken into pieces
- fresh orange zest, to decorate (optional)
Method
Generously oil a 1 litre/1¾fl oz microwaveable pudding basin (it should have a diameter of around 17cm/6½in at the rim – see recipe tips below). Cut a small circle of baking paper and place in the bottom of the basin – this will make it easier to remove the sponge.
Put 200g/7oz of the cake mixture in a bowl and add an egg and 4 tablespoons cold water (or follow the packet instructions for when using half a packet of the mixture). Whisk with electric beaters for 2 minutes, or by hand until well combined and creamy. Stir in the orange zest.
Spoon the batter into the prepared basin, ensuring the mixture doesn’t rise more than half of the way up the dish or it could rise and bubble over the sides.
Cook, uncovered, on HIGH for 3 minutes 30 seconds in an 800W microwave oven or 2 minutes 50 seconds in a 1000W microwave oven. The sponge should be well risen, just firm to the touch and a little gooey around the edges. (Microwave ovens vary so the timings above are a guide. Be prepared to adjust if yours is more or less powerful than the ones in the timings above.)
Take the pudding out of the microwave, using an oven cloth as it will be hot, and leave to stand while the sauce is made.
To make the sauce, put the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and cook on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir and then cook on HIGH for a further 20–30 seconds, or until the chocolate is very soft but not completely melted. Don’t allow to overheat or it burn. Stir until smooth.
Turn the pudding out onto a plate. Peel off the baking paper and pour the warm chocolate over the top. Decorate with extra orange zest if you like. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.
Recipe Tips
Sometimes cake mixes contain small lumps which are difficult to incorporate into the batter. If this is the case with the one you buy, simply pass it through a sieve before mixing with the other ingredients.
The cost of the ingredients here have been calculated using supermarket value lines and the recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
If you serve with tinned custard, the cost of the three course meal should still remain under £15 and cream or ice cream will cost a few pence more.
If you don’t have a pudding basin the right size, you can make this dessert in any microwaveable dish but you will need to adjust the cooking time slightly. Using a larger or shallower dish means the sponge will cook more quickly, so check after about 2 minutes. If cooking in a shallow dish, ensure the mixture doesn’t rise more than halfway up the sides or it could bubble over.
Seal the pack containing the rest of cake mix and use within a few days. Or make two sponges and freeze one of them for another time. You could even split it and sandwich with buttercream for a teatime treat over the festive period if you like.
If you can’t get hold of the value sponge cake mix, use another chocolate sponge mix. You will need 300g/10½oz of the made-up batter for a 1 litre/1¾fl oz pudding basin.
Use value milk chocolate instead of the orange-flavoured chocolate for the topping if you prefer.
