You will need
2 medium fresh oranges
1 cup (250 ml) water
½ cup (125 ml) butter, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 x 650 g Ina Paarman’s Chocolate Cake Mix
½ cup (125 ml) of water from cooked oranges
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 t (10 ml) grated orange rind from a fresh orange
1 x 100 g Lindt orange chocolate or plain dark chocolate
cooked orange wedges
1 cup (250 ml) cream
2 – 3 oranges, cut into segments
± 500 ml custard, warmed
zest from orange used
2 T (30 ml) brandy or Van der Hum (optional)
cocoa powder for dusting
Method
Orange Wedges
Prick the oranges all over with a fork. Place in a microwaveable container with the water. Cover and microwave for 8 – 10 minutes on high until the orange skin is soft. Leave the oranges (covered) to cool down in the water. When cool, reserve the water and cut each orange into 5 wedges.
Pudding Mixture
Butter 10 ovenproof containers about 9 cm across and 5 cm high. You can also use small bowls or old teacups. Cream the butter adding one egg and one tablespoon of the dry mix at a time. When all three eggs have been added, gently fold in half of the remaining Cake Mix, using a spatula. Mix in the orange water. Add the last batch of dry Mix and lastly the fresh orange juice and grated rind.
Chocolate And Orange Centres
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Spoon about 2 T of the cake mixture into each of the prepared containers. Place a block of chocolate on top followed by an orange wedge and 2 T of cream. Spoon the remaining chocolate pudding batter over. Place all the cups in a large deep oven pan.
Pour 2 cups of boiling water into the pan. Bake puddings in the water bath for 30 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes if serving immediately otherwise keep at room temperature for a few hours or refrigerated for a day or two. These puddings also freeze very successfully. Warm puddings in microwave before serving.
Garnish And Accompaniments
Grate the zest from the oranges before cutting away the skin and cutting out the segments. Add the orange zest to the custard and warm the custard. Add brandy. Turn the puddings out on a large dinner plate. Drizzle with custard, arrange a few orange segments on the plate. Dust the plates lightly with cocoa powder before serving.
Variation
Instead of custard, you can use chocolate ganaché to pour over the puddings. Melt 100 g dark chocolate in ½ cup (125 ml) cream and use while warm.
