Pages

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Chocolate Fudge Pudding (CFP)

(from Emma Levy)




I like to call Chocolate Fudge Pudding (or CFP as it's known in the Levy family) my "signature dish".  How does a dish become one's signature dish?  Because it was the only dessert I could make, and I made it repeatedly.  This hot chocolate pudding became a favourite in my family, and is now a favourite of our kids.  It's easy to make, though from memory I did go through a phase where I left a vital ingredient out each time, but that speaks to my attention problems rather than the recipe which is very straightforward.

The reason CFP deserves a spot in the Pass It On blog is that it's the last thing I ever baked for my mum.  That night was also the first time she met my husband-to-be, so it was a special night all around.  It was entirely fitting that it was the last thing I baked for her, as mum loved it and always told me that at a restaurant you should work out what you want for dessert first, and then decide on a main course that will leave you with enough room.  It was also fitting that it was the first thing Richard ever tasted of my baking, as he soon worked out there was a small repetoire so at least we were starting with the best.

My brother also needs a mention here (he's alive and well but doesn't read cooking blogs, even when his sister co-facilitates them) as he thinks the cookbook is hilarious because it's really obvious that there's only one recipe I make, as all the pages are crisp and white until you get to the CFP page, which is splattered in chocolate.

And credit where credit's due, the recipe is from Mary Pat Fergus' "Junior Cook Dinner Book", first published in 1972.  The juniors will love to make it and eat it, and the seniors will love it just as much.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
50g butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup hot coffee 

Directions
1.    Turn oven on to 180C.
2.    Sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and the 1 tsp cocoa into mixing bowl.
3.    Melt butter.  Stir in the milk and the vanilla.
4.    Stir into the mixing bowl until it's all well-mixed.
5.    Spoon it all evenly into a greased casserole dish.
6.    Sieve brown sugar and 1 tsp cocoa evenly over.
7.    Pour the hot coffee over it all - DON'T STIR IT.
8.    Bake for 50 mins.

Serve with cream or ice-cream (the diet starts tomorrow).

(I find this makes quite a small amount and tend to double it if there's a big group, or just make 1 1/2 times the amount for a normal sized one.  For a romantic dinner for two - the above is perfect!)

13 comments:

  1. Small world - I just made this last night. Yummy - I have the cheats version though, some changes and it's cooked in the microwave.
    I had no idea it came from that recipe book! I had it when I was a kid and still have some recipes from it but had never tried the CFP.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually I used to make it in the microwave too, but it was a setting called "A7" and I have no idea what that is on any other microwave! The Mary Pat Fergus books are great, and one of them has a photo of her and her family on the back, which is just the most hilarious early 1970s photo with the classic clothes and hair. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Em.
    You gave me this recipe about 20 yrs ago when we didn't have an oven - just a microwave. Jeremy kinda liked it then and then when we got an oven,he REALLY liked it. And now the kids do. It's the perfect thing to eat on a rainy, wintery afternoon while watching a movie on TV together. So many generations, so many continents. What a winner!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah I think it's better in the oven (most things are). It is a great winter dessert that's for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'll have to try it in the oven next time - if you want to try it in the microwave it's 8-9 minutes on 80% power. I have a stupidly high powered micro (1200w), so for most people that's about 8 minutes on high.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Being able to whip this up in under 15 minutes scares me a bit!!! At least 50 mins in the oven is a bit of a munchies buffer!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Emma - I am desperately trying to find Mary Pat Fergus' Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe. The BEST chocolate cake ever. Very moist as it uses oil and very dark. I have the recipe book minus the one page with this recipe on it. If you could share it with us, I guarantee it won't disappoint!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Which book is it in? I have the dinner cookbook - there's a chocolate cake in there but it's not made with oil. I've got my sister onto it as well as she has one (maybe two) of the others. Someone must have really liked the cake if the page is missing!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm looking for Mary Pat Fergus' "1 egg chocolate cake", (you don't cream the butter and sugar if it's the one I'm thinking of) is that the one you have your book?

      Delete
  9. Sorry it's not in my book either. I've got the "Junior Cook" book. Nicki

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks so much Emma! It's in her 'Junior Cookbook' - red cover, published in 1982, p.111! That edition also contains favourites such as your Lemon Chicken and some delicious 'chocolate chippie' biscuits, which I also highly recommend. I have such fond memories of baking the chocolate fudge cake growing up and would dearly love to pass the recipe on to my two boys (now 6 and 3 years old), who are also chocolate cake adorers. Sadly I can only blame myself for the missing page - a casualty of a well thumbed page and old spiral binding! Thanks for helping me with this search. Love your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't think either of us have it, but I'm still trying! I'm glad you love the blog. We haven't done much on it for a while but we're discussing a revival and just making it family recipes that people loved and love, so if you have one (which it sounds like you would!) please consider doing an entry.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kia Ora - I know this post is a wee bit old but I have been searching everywhere. I have the junior cook book by Mary Pat Fergus that this recipe came out of... the only problem is that the spiral binding fell apart so the pages are all loose and the ONE recipe that I loved as a kid is missing. If anyone has the chocolate self saucing recipe and is able to take a picture of it please let me know! I've looked everywhere and I cant tell which book it was even in because mine was an anthology of three books!

    ReplyDelete