Ingredients

• 150g/5½oz unsalted butter
• cut into 1-2cm/½-¾ cubes
• plus extra for greasing
• 185g/6oz self-raising flour
• 15g/½oz cocoa powder
• 20g/¾oz caster sugar
• 125g/4½ suet
• 1 orange
• 150-175ml/5-6fl oz full-fat milk
• plus extra for dampening
• 150g/5½oz soft dark brown sugar
• 25g/1oz dark chocolate
• chopped into small pieces
• cream
• to serve

Directions

• Grease a 1.2 litre/2 pints pudding basin with butter.
• Mix the flour
• cocoa
• sugar and suet together in a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of the orange and mix this in too. Gradually work in enough milk to form a soft
• slightly sticky dough.
• Take a third of the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Invert the basin onto the pastry and cut around it to form a lid. Add the offcuts to the remaining pastry and roll out to a circle
• about 30cm/12in in diameter. Use this to line the pudding basin. Make sure there are no cracks in the pastry.
• Put half of the butter
• dark brown sugar and chocolate in the lined basin. Pierce the zested orange all over with a skewer and sit it on top. Add the remaining butter
• sugar and chocolate.
• Dampen the pastry edges with milk or water and put the pastry lid on top. Press the edges together to seal and trim off the excess.
• Place a piece of baking parchment on a sheet of foil and make a large pleat in the middle
• folding both sheets together. Put the parchment and foil on top of the pudding
• foil-side up
• and secure with string
• looping the end of the string over the top of the pudding and tying it to form a handle.
• Place the basin in a large pan
• and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Put a lid on the pan and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and let the pudding steam for 2¼ hours. Top up the boiling water during this time
• if necessary
• so the pan doesn’t boil dry.
• Carefully remove the basin from the pan
• remove the paper and foil and release the sides of the pudding from the basin with a small knife
• if necessary. Put a large plate or deep dish on top of the basin and invert it to turn out the pudding.
• Serve at once
• cutting into the pudding carefully as the juices flood out (the orange isn’t intended to be eaten). Serve with cold cream.