It’s January (brrr!) and at this time of year, nothing hits the sweet spot more than a warm, gooey chocolate-orange sponge pudding. I’ve given this classic steamed pud a vegan twist so everyone can get involved, and it’s all done in the microwave so you can get your treat fix, fast.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

For the sponge:

100g vegan margarine, plus extra for greasing the bowl

100g golden caster sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup

Up to 150ml unsweetened almond milk

3 tbsp coconut yoghurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

215g self raising flour

1 ½ tbsp corn flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 oranges

For the chocolate sauce:

Vegan dark chocolate

Soy Cream

1-3 tbsp maple syrup (to taste)

Method

Step 1: Grease a 1.2 litre pudding basin (or a 1.5 litre Pyrex bowl) with vegan margarine and set to one side.

Step 2: Finely zest two oranges into a mixing bowl. Then using a sharp knife, peel the oranges whole. Do this by cutting the top and bottom off, then moving around the orange, carefully slicing off the skin and pith from top to bottom.

Step 3: Once peeled, turn the orange on its side and finely slice. Then pick 5-6 of the nicest-looking slices to press around the bottom and sides of your greased bowl. Juice the remaining orange into a jug and set to one side.

Step 4: Melt the vegan margarine, caster sugar and maple syrup in the microwave and mix to combine. Top the orange juice up with almond milk until their combined volume is 150ml.  Once the margarine and sugar mix has melted, add the orange juice and almond milk, along with the yoghurt and vanilla extract. Give it a mix.

Step 5: Sift the self-raising flour, cornflour and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl of orange zest and stir to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix until just combined. Spoon this into the greased basin and use the back of the spoon to flatten the top.

Step 6: Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave at full power for five minutes. Leave your sponge pudding to stand for two minutes before turning out onto a plate.

Step 7: While the sponge pudding is resting in the bowl, break the chocolate up into small pieces and pop them in a separate microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate gently in the microwave, stopping and stirring it every 10 seconds to make sure it doesn’t burn or seize up.

Step 8: Once the chocolate is melted and glossy, whisk in the soy cream and maple syrup until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Serve the sponge pudding while it’s still hot, with a generous pour of your chocolate sauce. Mmmmmm.

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