chocolate cake pudding with pudding sauce

I do not know what overcame me when I baked this chocolate cake pudding. This recipe involves quite a few steps but it is worth it. The smell of the cake pudding being baked in the oven is simply heavenly.

INGREDIENTS (for the chocolate cake)

2 cups self-raising flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
250g butter (softened)
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 cup water


INGREDIENTS (for the pudding)

1 large overripe banana (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup dry mixed fruit
3 cups low fat milk
3 eggs
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon


INGREDIENTS (pudding sauce)

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups low fat milk

METHOD (for the chocolate cake)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Grease and line a 9" x 9" square baking pan with baking paper. Set aside.

3. Sift the self-raising flour and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, brown sugar, vanilla essence, eggs and water and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and changed in colour.

4. Pour the batter onto the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

5. Let the cake cool thoroughly.

METHOD (for the pudding)

1. Grease and line a 9" x 9" square cake pan with baking paper.

2. Slice the cooled cake cross section into two. Place 1 portion of the cake at the base of the cake pan.

3. Arrange the sliced bananas on top of the cake. Cover the bananas with the other portion of the cake.

4. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top of the cake.

5. Sprinkle the dry mixed fruit on top of the chopped peanuts.

6. Beat the milk, eggs, brown sugar, salt, ground cinnamon and lemon juice in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer until well combined. Pour the mixture into the cake pan, making sure that the cake, bananas, chopped peanuts and dry mixed fruit are totally covered.

7. Bake in an oven preheated to 175 degrees for 1 hour.

METHOD (for the pudding sauce)

1. Cream the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

2. Add the ground cinnamon and eggs and mix well.

3. Boil the milk in a saucepan. Pour the boiling milk into the mixture and stir continuously until well mixed.

4. Serve the cake pudding with a generous serving of the pudding sauce.