Sometimes one needs a highly indulgent dessert with very little effort;  this recipe is one of my all time favourites. It is easy to “make and bake” and has a lovely squidgy centre. All our guests who have been served with this delightful pudding raved endlessly. Lava puddings are gaining in popularity and rightly so. Whoever made these first deserves a medal – I thought they were a new concept until I was looking through a really old Yorkshire recipe book which included something similar.

Remember when making these to keep an eye on the puddings while baking, have the cream ready in the fridge (or ice cream so it is just a little softened), they should only wait the time it takes to remove either from the fridge.

You can serve with a dollop of French vanilla ice cream (quickly open up the puddings and drop the ice cream into the centre and serve immediately – best done at the table). I prefer it casually served in the ramekin with just a dollop of chilled clotted cream.

150 ml moulds – four
25 grams melted butter
Cocoa powder (or finely grated/ground chocolate)

1. Using a soft bristle pastry brush, brush each mould with melted butter, start with the base then work up the sides using upwards strokes.
2. Chill before adding a second coat of butter in the same manner.
3. Place a tablespoon of cocoa or ground chocolate into each mould, tip so all the butter is coated, tip out excess.

100 grams Green and Blacks dark chocolate, chopped or grated
100 grams unsalted butter – diced
1 tbsp Tia Maria
100 grams natural golden caster sugar
2 large fresh eggs plus 2 egg yolks
100 grams plain white flour
Pinch sea salt

1. Prepare the moulds then preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF, gas mark 6).
2. Put the chocolate, butter and Tia Maria into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan containing 3 cm of barely simmering water, allow to melt slowly while stirring occasionally until melted, remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Allow to cool for approx. 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick – the whisk should leave a trail.
4. Sift the flour and sea salt over the pudding batter, one third at a time, gently fold in until thoroughly combined.
5. Divide between the ramekins and bake for approx. 9 to 12 minutes or until a crust has formed on the top and the puddings have begun to pull away from the side – immediately remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack while you remove the cream from the fridge.
6. Loosen the pudding from the mould, invert onto a dessert plate, serve with cream or ice cream and fresh berries, serve immediately.