Chocolate Pear Pudding Without Food Processor

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Pear Pudding (from NIGELLA-EXPRESS) coats canned pear halves in a chocolate sponge. For speed, the sponge mixture is made in a food processor but it can be made with an electric mixer or even with a bowl, a wooden spoon and plenty of elbow grease. Unfortunately we can't recommend using oil instead of butter for this particular recipe, whether made by hand or in a food processor.

To make the batter without a food processor, start by sifting or whisking together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. As you will be whisking some air into the mixture you can reduce the baking powder from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon. Beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and looks slightly fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredient mix with each egg. Fold or very slowly mix in the remaining flour and cocoa mixture then mix in enough of the canned pear juice to give a soft dropping consistency to the batter (it should drop lazily from the spoon). Spread the batter over the pears and continue with the recipe.