A sauce is formed on the base of the pudding during cooking.
1 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
3 tablespoons dark, bitter sweet Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup hazelnut meal or ground hazelnuts
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Sauce: 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark, bitter sweet Dutch cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 19cm round x 6cm deep baking dish or similar.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in the hazelnut meal and chocolate.
Whisk the oil, egg, milk and vanilla essence. Stir into the dry ingredients. Pour into the dish.
To make the sauce, combine the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Sprinkle evenly over the pudding. Carefully pour the boiling water over the top of the pudding.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. The top should be tender but firm and there should be plenty of sauce underneath.
Great topped with whipped cream and served with a glass of Merlot. Serves 8.