Filling

• 75 g (3 oz) butter
• 300 mls (½ pint) single cream
• 150 g (5 oz) chocolate, broken into pieces
• 50 g (2 oz) ground almonds
• 50 g (2 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
• 100 g (4 oz) vanilla sugar
• 3 free-range eggs, separated

Heat the butter and cream to boiling point, remove from the heat, and stir in the chocolate. When this has melted, stir in the almonds, breadcrumbs and sugar.

Let the mixture stand until cool, and then beat in the egg yolks. Whisk the whites to firm peaks, fold into the chocolate mixture, and spoon into a well-buttered pudding basin.

Cover with a double thickness of foil, pleated down the middle, and steam the pudding for about 2 hours, putting it in a saucepan with boiling water coming halfway up the basin. The water should be kept boiling.

When cooked, turn out, and serve with hot chocolate sauce, or cream.