Saucy microwave puddings

I’m so sorry it’s been such a long time since I last posted! Since that time things have been quite crazy – I managed to lose my building security pass, break my iron (I dropped it on the ground), get sick, look after Mr Duckie whilst he was sick, and make sure I had all my assignments ready to hand in at uni. After all of this, my brain just decided to give up. In fact, I spent most of last weekend asleep or doing not much at all whilst trying to recover. Hopefully things will calm down a bit now, and I can get my head back in order again.

During these busy weeks, I’ve been heavily reliant on meals that are quick and easy, whilst still giving the required nutrients. This microwave pudding is simple, quick, and requires very little fuss. It isn’t exactly the most healthy, but it does help to lift the spirits (which is undoubtedly another important role of food!). When Mr Duckie was ill and in need of something sweet and comforting, and I didn’t have much time to spare, this was my go-to dessert.

Apart from its ease, the best thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile. I’ve provided both a vanilla and a chocolate recipe here, depending on what you feel like. I used the vanilla cake base to make a saucy lemon pudding, just by adding some store-bought lemon curd to the bottom of the bowl! This gave a bubbling lemon sauce underneath the vanilla sponge top (it got quite hot, so be careful when eating this!). I’ve also made this into a jam pudding by dolloping some jam into the bottom (using my favourite cherry jam). This was also delicious and I think I even liked the jam version better than the lemon!

I used a very special-looking vanilla bean paste for the vanilla sponge. The paste contains lots of vanilla seeds in it, and a spoonful of this paste is equivalent to a whole vanilla bean! The pudding had lots of lovely tiny black flecks throughout thanks to the vanilla paste.

For the chocolate version, I added big chunks of chocolate in the middle to give it a melty chocolate centre – I ended up with little pools of chocolate sauce throughout the pudding! I would definitely experiment with different types of chocolate as well – maybe some caramel chocolate to add some caramel sauciness to the centre ;)

This pudding is egg-free and can easily be made dairy free by using a milk alternative and dairy-free chocolate. Also note that the serving is big enough for two or even three people, so you’ll have plenty to share with your special someone. Feel free to play around with your favourite additions and jam flavours to make this pudding your own!

Mr Duckie polished off his pudding!

Saucy lemon pudding

Adapted from the Stir

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tbsp lemon curd or your favourite jam

4 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

4 tbsp milk

2 tbsp oil

1. Place lemon curd or jam into the bottom of a bowl.

2. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir well.

3. Make a well in the centre and add in milk, oil and vanilla paste (add a little extra milk if you feel the mixture is too stiff - it should have a dolloping consistency like regular cake batter). Stir well to combine.

4. Spoon over the lemon curd/jam. Microwave for 3 minutes, stopping every minute to check whether the cake is cooked (do not overcook cake otherwise it can be dry).

5. Serve straight from the mug!

Chocolate microwave pudding

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

½ tsp baking powder

1 pinch of salt

4 tbsp milk

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

50 g chocolate chunks (I used 8 squares/2 rows of chocolate from a Cadbury Old Gold block)

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2. Make a well in the centre. Pour in milk, oil and vanilla extract and stir to combine (add a spoonful of extra milk and oil if you prefer a fudgier texture).

3. Push chocolate chunks into the centre of the pudding. Microwave for 1 minute. If cake is not yet cooked, microwave for another 30 seconds.

4. Serve straight from the mug, with a scoop of your favourite ice cream!