Can I Cook The Chocolate Sponge Pudding In The Oven?

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Pudding For Christmas Pudding Haters With Hot Chocolate Sauce is a steamed chocolate sponge pudding that is served with a ganache-style chocolate sauce.

We understand that it is possible to cook steamed sponges in the oven with a water bath (bain Marie). You would need to put the sponge batter in a basin made from heatproof glass or stoneware or metal. Cover the surface with a circle of baking parchment then wrap tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a double layer of foil. Put the wrapped basin in a deep roasting pan and pour in enough freshly boiled water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Put in an oven heated to 180c/160c fan/350F for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. As the water will evaporate you should check the level in the roasting pan regularly and top up as needed. However, we have not tried this ourselves so can't guarantee the results. But you can also make a slightly smaller version of the pudding and cook it in the microwave instead - with our guide for making a smaller steamed sponge.