Steamed chocolate pudding with Christmas caramel sauce

Grease a 1.25L pudding basin with butter, place a disc of baking parchment in the bottom and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a large bowl and electric hand mixer), cream the butter with both sugars until pale, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula from time to time.

Gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix again. Sift the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt into the bowl, then add the milk and mix until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared basin and level the top.

Butter a sheet of baking parchment large enough to cover the top of the basin with some excess, then lay a same-sized sheet of foil on top. Fold a pleat across the middle of both sheets – this allows room for the pudding to rise as it cooks – then cover, paper-side down. Tie the foil and paper securely under the rim of the pudding basin using kitchen string, then trim off any excess paper leaving a frill of 2cm. Fold the frill up and in on itself so it sits on top of the covered pudding and won’t hang into the pan water. Make a handle with more string.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer, then lower in the pudding. The water should come halfway up the basin’s sides. Cover with a lid and steam for 1 hour 30 minutes1 hour 45 minutes until cooked through, well risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. You may need to top up the water after an hour.

Remove the string, paper and parchment with foil and let the pudding settle for 10 minutes. Spoon the caramel sauce into a small saucepan and add the mincemeat. Slowly warm together, stirring.

Loosen the edges of the pudding, then turn onto a serving plate. Pour the sauce into a jug and serve immediately with the hot pudding.