Coffee and chocolate self-saucing pudding

Another dinner party at our place meant another opportunity to try a new dessert recipe. This time it was a coffee and chocolate self-saucing pudding from the Donna Hay magazine (Issue 32). The recipe is from the 'Skillet Desserts' article, where each dessert is prepared in a skillet or frying pan. Although I did use a small frying pan, I think it should also be possible to make this pudding in another dish with some minor adjustment to the cooking time. Here is the recipe:

Coffee and Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

For the pudding batter, you need:
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
35g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (150g) plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
1 tablespoon instant coffee, sifted
1/4 cup (27.5g) almond meal (ground almonds)
1/4 cup (27.5g) brown sugar

For the sauce, you need:
1/2 cup (55g) brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup (250ml) water

For serving, you need:
thick (double) cream or ice cream

Preheat the over to 180 degrees Celsius (355 degrees Fahrenheit). For the pudding batter, place the milk, butter, egg and vanilla in a bowl and whisk to combine. Place the flour, baking powder, coffee, almond meal and sugar in another bowl and mix. Gradually add the milk mixture and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

For the sauce, place the sugar, cocoa powder and water in a 15cm 4 cup (1 litre) capacity non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Pour the pudding batter to the frying pan containing the sauce. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch.

Serve with cream or ice cream. Serves 4 people.