We Should Cocoa: Queen of Puddings

There is a lot - and I mean a lot - of talk in this house about kings and queens and princesses. I used to be the queen but lately I've been relegated to mere princess status (finally, that anti-aging cream is working!). To win favour from Her Little Majesty, I thought I'd make an old-fashioned Queen of Puddings for a regal finish to the week. Unfortunately a domestic crisis meant I was required elsewhere in our castle at the precise moment when this lovely pudding, with its cloud-like meringue topping, should have been photographed. You'll just have to take my word for how pretty it was.

Chocolate and Blackcurrant Queen of Puddings
To satisfy Choclette, the queen of all things chocolate, I fiddled with this old favourite to make it the requirements for this month's We Should Cocoa challenge, in which the guest ingredient is blackcurrants. Finding some chocolate cake in the freezer was the first step, then a jar of plum, blackcurrant and lime jam made by a friend sealed the deal. If you don't have chocolate cake in your freezer (and frankly, I am at a loss to explain why I did), then you could use fresh breadcrumbs and a spoonful or two of cocoa and sugar.

100g chocolate cake, crumbed
350ml whole milk
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup blackcurrant jam
40g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C and grease an ovenproof dish (like a souffle dish). Heat the milk to simmering point, then remove from the heat and tip in the cake crumbs. Let stand for about 15 minutes, then stir in the egg yolks.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until set. Remove from the oven and spread the jam on top.
Beat the egg whites and sugar until glossy and stiff and swirl over the jam. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until the topping is set and golden. Serves four.

Have a great weekend, everyone x