It’s GBBO desserts week, and apparently it’s going to be a cracker of an episode. Yes, the one where the weather hots up, tempers fray and chocolate resolutely refuses to set. In recognition of the technical demands and high stress of this week’s episode, I wanted to re-create one of my favourite desserts – melting middle chocolate puddings. Small but packing a rich, intense chocolate hit, these cute sponge cakes contain a hidden surprise – a chocolate-fudge sauce that oozes out the moment you break in with a spoon. However, unlike a demanding Bake Off, these are surprisingly easy to make.

What’s more, if you’re a regular baker (or even if not) you’ll probably have all the ingredients to hand already, meaning this is a recipe you can make on the spur of the moment. One thing you might not have are the individual ramekins. I used glass ramekins saved from occasional Gu pudding indulgence. If you don’t have that dangerous habit, get creative with any existing bakeware you have – for example line and grease deep muffin tins (this will probably make smaller puddings). I’ve even seen a suggestion to make these in individual mugs – though check they’re ovenproof first.

Recipe wise, I adapted this recipe from the BBC Good Food website. You’ll notice the recipe doesn’t contain any raising agents (eg baking powder or bicarbonate of soda). To get extra volume, and make the sponge as light as possible, I opted to whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until they’d doubled in volume, before gently folding in the melted chocolate/butter and flour.

Result: a light, moist sponge filled with a gooey centre fit for any dessert centrepiece. Serve warm, with vanilla icecream or a dash of single cream to provide a cold contrast. Enjoy!

Have a go, and let me know how you get on.