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It’s definitely winter. The weather is completely and utterly freezing (for these parts), there are rumours of snow, and all I can think about is greasy hamburgers and chocolate self-saucing pudding. I should probably take up running, to get moving, you know – to keep warm. But who wants to go outside? I’d rather curl up in front of the fire! And eat warm, fattening comfort food – preferably something I don’t have to cook. The hamburgers are easy to find, but the pudding I may have to make myself.

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Not that it’s a problem. When you’ve been making chocolate pudding since forever, and know the recipe like the back of your hand, there’s not much that can stand between you and your desire. That and butterscotch pudding were stock standards in boarding school; cheap and filling and always crowd-pleasers. We rarely have dessert these days, but I recall as a teenager, weighing up my options – should I have seconds, or leave room for dessert? (Answer: ALWAYS leave room for dessert!)

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These days I prefer to eat my dessert for breakfast… at least that way I know I’ll burn the calories! Recently, I spied a packet for chocolate and raspberry self-saucing pudding at the shops, and knew I just had to make it from scratch! Only this time, it would be vegan-ised, and made with wholemeal spelt flour and raw cacao. Not quite your old-school pudding, but pretty darn close! Rich and gooey, and offset with tart raspberries, this is winter indulgence of the highest order.

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Chocolate and Raspberry Self-Saucing Pudding {vegan, with gf option}
A modern twist on a classic, this pudding is comfort food made health(ier) with spelt flour and raw cacao.

Serves 4

Ingredients
60g unsalted butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup (125ml) non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (165g) brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup (150g) wholemeal spelt flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder, or unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup (185g) brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup (130g) frozen raspberries
Coconut ice cream, to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degF). Grease a 1.5L (6-cup) capacity ovenproof baking dish.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, 2 tablespoons of cacao and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Melt the coconut oil with the milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the vanilla, brown sugar and flour mixture, stirring to combine. Lastly, fold through raspberries. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Combine the brown sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons cacao and sprinkle evenly over pudding batter. Slowly pour 1 cup (250ml) boiling water over the back of a large metal spoon to cover pudding (the spoon prevents the water creating huge craters in the batter). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is firm.

Stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Dust the warm pudding with extra cacao and serve immediately topped with your favourite ice cream (and extra raspberries).

Notes Adapted from Delicious

*Any type of flour will do – regular wheat flour or your favourite gluten-free mix.

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