Chocolate Pear Pudding Dry Sponge

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Pear Pudding (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) is a chocolate sponge studed with pear halves. The sponge itself should be moist but this is not a self-saucing pudding so it will not be particularly gooey or liquid. The liquid on top of the sponge is a separate chocolate sauce and we have now added ingredients and instructions for the sauce to the recipe.

The sponge could be a little dry if it has baked for too long and the 30 minutes baking time is a guideline, as all ovens vary. If your oven runs a little fast then start checking the pudding at 25 minutes - a cake tester inserted into the centre should come out with a few damp crumbs attached once the pudding is ready. The cake batter itself should have a soft dropping consistency when it is mixed (the batter drops lazily from a spoon). If the batter is a bit stiff, add a tablespoon or two of the pear juice from the can, until the batter reaches the correct consistency.