Squidgy Chocolate Pear Pudding

Wondering what to do with your Children during Easter half term? How about baking this yummy
squidgy chocolate pear pudding! This hot gooey chocolate pudding goes great with vanilla ice cream or pouring cream.

Serves 8 Ready in 60 minutes

Ingredients

200g butter, extra for greasing

300g golden caster sugar

4 eggs

75g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

410g tinned pear halves, drained

100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Cream or ice cream, to serve

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Lightly grease a roughly 20 x 30cm shallow ovenproof dish. Put the butter in a large saucepan and place over a low heat until just melted. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the sugar until well combined.

Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar, beating well with a wooden spoon in between each addition. Sift the flour and cocoa powder on top of the egg mixture, then beat hard with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

Pour into the prepared tin or dish and nestle the pears into the chocolate batter. Scatter the chocolate pieces over the batter. It can be frozen at this stage.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 mins or until the mixture is crusty on the surface and lightly cooked inside. Do not allow to overcook, as the cake will become spongy rather than gooey in the centre.