This is a Jamie Oliver recipe which we tried and are having for Christmas Pudding. The only change we make is Nadia pours Cointreau over the warm pudding just before servng.

This pudding has a lovely surprise in the centre of it when you cut it open. The orange peel is cooked like marmalade and its sharpness goes well with the sweetness of the chocolate.

serves 6-8
85g/3oz butter
55g/2oz dark chocolate
170g/6oz self-raising flour
55g/2oz cocoa powder
170g/6oz caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk

For the Filling
1 orange – preferably a thin-skinned navel variety
85g/3oz butter
85g/3oz caster sugar

First, bring some water to the boil in a pan (in which you are later going to steam your pudding), and put in your whole orange to boil fast for at least 10 minutes with the lid on. Meanwhile, grease a 1.3 litre/2 pint pudding basin. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Put the flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl; add the melted butter and chocolate, then the sugar, eggs and milk, and mix well. Put about two-thirds of the mixture into the basin, making a well in the middle.

By this time the orange should have been boiling for about 10 minutes, and the peel should be nice and soft. Remove it carefully from the water. Prick the orange all over with a fork or skewer and place it in the middle of the pudding mix. You can (with care, as it’s still hot) cut the orange into segments, if you want to check for pips or cut off the stringy bits of orange in the middle, then put it back together again (it does make it easier for serving), although I don’t usually bother.

Dice the butter and dot it round the orange with the sugar, then cover with the remaining pudding mixture. Cover the pudding with greaseproof paper, then with tin-foil, and place in the pan of boiling water (it should come half-way up the sides of the basin). Steam for 2 hours. Don’t forget to check now and then to see if the water needs topping up. Turn the pudding out on to a serving dish and serve with custard or cream.