Pear, chocolate & oat pudding

• salted butter↗180g g

  plus extra for the baking dish

• dark chocolate↗200g g

  roughly chopped

• caster sugar↗180g g
• eggs↗3
• plain flour↗100g g
• porridge oats↗50g g
• ripe pears↗3

  halved

• double cream↗

  to serve (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Butter a baking dish well (ours was 20cm). Tip the chocolate and butter into a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base does not touch the water. Stir regularly until melted, then remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.

2. 2

   Crack in the eggs one by one, whisking well after each addition, before finally stirring in the flour and most of the oats. Pour into the prepared dish and nestle the pears on top, cut-side up. Scatter over the remaining oats and cover. Will keep in the fridge, unbaked, for up to four days, or frozen for up to two months.

3. 3

   Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake for 25-30 mins from chilled or 35-40 mins from frozen, until set on the top and sides but gooey in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 mins before serving with double cream poured over the top, if you like.