Dismay at Donna Hay (sorry Donna!)

July 3rd, 2008 · 28 Comments

[Donna Hay's Self Saucing Chocolate Puddings]

It was with much trepidation that I posted that headline. I mean, all my Aussie readers will know what a powerful force Donna Hay is in the Australian food industry (and indeed too on the world stage) but yesterday I made one of her recipes and it didn’t work.

I followed the very short instructions carefully but I was very unhappy with results. I even got three taste testers to give me their comments (more on that in a minute) and there was mixed results. By my standards it was an absolute failure both in texture and taste.

As you know I only ever post original recipes and sometimes adaptations but I made an exception yesterday so that I could support Michelle at Thursday Night Smackdown for her First Thursdays event. Michelle is a very funny woman who loves swearing and has an excellent blog that features a recipe from her huge collection of cookbooks every Thursday.

For the very first one I wanted to feature a recipe from an Australian cooking icon and brag about how wonderful we are Down Under. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. Don’t get me wrong, I think Donna Hay is fantastic; the styling and photography in her cookbooks and magazines inspire me immensely. But this recipe did not impress me. Hay, you can’t be perfect all the time. (Sorry!)

The Bear very gently mentioned to me that maybe I hadn’t followed the recipe correctly and hence the result. I am willingly to accept that if it’s true. I think the problem is that Donna and I may have a different idea about what a self saucing pudding is. I believe the cake part on top should rise nicely and then a sticky syrupy sauce should remain underneath.

What do you think? Who is going to back me up here? Feedback please!

These puddings didn’t rise very much and then the ’sauce’ was just uncooked cake batter underneath. I also had to cook it for 10 minutes extra than the recipe called for because I was concerned about the uncooked bit underneath. I thought if it had a bit longer in the oven then it would magically turn into sauce. I can’t help it, I always think positive.

So what did the testers have to say? (My comments in bold)

The Bear: It’s good, I like it. Nice amount of chocolate. (No, chocolate taste is bland)
My sister Nic: Soggy, no sauce. (Agreed, soggy cake batter, yuck)
Jmez (Bear’s brother): It tastes nice. (Is this some kind of sibling conspiracy?)

I realise I’m a perfectionist, but I think there’s something funny about this recipe, even though my testers liked it. I don’t think it’s true to the name. Can someone else please try it and let me know how they go?

For now, I’m going to stick with making up my own recipes. (Until the next First Thursdays event!)

Happy cooking, Christie

ps. Sorry this post is a bit negative. I’m just upset because I wanted it to go so right and it went the other way!

Self saucing chocolate puddings
recipe by Donna Hay Magazine Issue 39
serves 4

1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1 1/2 tablespoons hazelnut meal
1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
35g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar, extra
1 cup (250 ml) boiling water

Preheat oven to 180C (355F). Sift the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of cocoa into a bowl. Add the milk, butter, egg and vanilla and mix well to combine.

Spoon into 4 x 1 cup-capacity (250ml) oven-proof dishes and place on a baking tray. Place the extra sugar and remaining cocoa in a bowl and mix to combine. Sprinkle over the puddings and pour over the water.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are firm.

Tags: Chocolate · Dessert · Recipes

28 responses so far ↓

1 Bear // Jul 3, 2008 at 3:10 pm

I think you need to do a second round to be sure
2 Leigh // Jul 3, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Cheeky bugger, I hope you have slapped him for implying you’d stuffed up the recipe

They don’t sound too appetising, but you styling has made them look very nice.
3 jmez // Jul 3, 2008 at 4:04 pm

Arrhh… Come on Christie! They were yum
Maybe a second round is needed… just to be sure.
4 noble pig // Jul 3, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Wow I have no idea what a self saucing pudding is! I enjoyed your honesty about this though but it would be fun to see someone else make it.
5 Y // Jul 3, 2008 at 6:05 pm

Looks like a standard chocolate self saucing pudding recipe to me. Have to say, I’m more of a fan of putting actual chocolate (chopped and folded into the batter?) into chocolate puddings, rather than just having cocoa powder, otherwise the flavour never seems to be strong enough. Can’t imagine what could have gone wrong with your attempt. Was the pudding bit at least cakey?
6 Y // Jul 3, 2008 at 6:07 pm

Oh and I just remembered that I wanted to ask who your favourite NKOTB member was!
7 Christie // Jul 3, 2008 at 6:46 pm

Hello Bear,
Nice try babe. Actually, maybe I will try them again just to be 100% certain.

Hi Leigh,
No, you’ve taken it the wrong way! The Bear was very nice about it - I mentioned it so that people would know I’d taken my human error into consideration.

Hi Jmez,
Thanks mate, but I disagree. At least you enjoyed it!

Hi Noble Pig,
OMG never had a self saucing pudding? I must post another successful recipe for you to try soon. One your boys (and you) will love!

Hi Y,
I definitely agree. The cocoa powder did not cut it. I was dubious before I did it, but can now confirm that chopped real 70% chocolate would have been infinitely better. But yes, at least the pudding bit was cakey.

And to answer your question about NKOTB - Joey of course!!!
8 Ju'eta Amir // Jul 3, 2008 at 7:38 pm

Christie, I’ve made it!! You should have asked me and I hated it too. I think it’s just her style of self-saucing pudding. The only person who said it was nice was my friend who eats ANYTHING! And he’s a guy too. so my verdict is that’s a crap recipe. I’ve tried it twice and it came out the same way both times. Don’t feel bad. It’s not you, it’s Donna….
9 Christie // Jul 3, 2008 at 9:34 pm

Hi Ju’eta,
I should have thought to ask my best friend! Thank you for confirming this!!!

Everyone - I am going to create the best self saucing pudding ever… stay tuned!
10 Helen // Jul 4, 2008 at 1:55 am

Oh no! That’s a shame. We don’t know Donna Hay at all over here - I wouldn’t know her if I passed her in the street! But it’s always disappointing when a recipe doesn’t work. I agree with you though, a self-saucing pudding should be set on top and then have the sauce at the bottom. Uncooked cake batter does not sound good!!
11 michelle @ TNS // Jul 4, 2008 at 2:11 am

i was all, “but it’s only thursday morning,” and then realized 2 minutes later that australia just might be in a slightly different time zone than new york. i’m sharp like that.

i’ve never had a self-saucing pudding either, so i’m excited for a christie original. not that i’d consider this one a failure; to fail you must fail SPECTACULARLY (e.g., fish dangle).

thanks for playing!
12 Colleen // Jul 4, 2008 at 2:18 am

I will take one for the team and whip this up this weekend Christie. We don’t have Donna Hay here in US so I’ll be a good impartial judge for you
13 Christie // Jul 4, 2008 at 10:25 am

Hi Helen,
Thank you for backing me up! I knew I wasn’t (totally) crazy!

Hi Michelle,
Yep, we’re half a day ahead! Thanks for the reassurance, but that’s the problem with being a perfectionist. Hope you get loads of entries!

Hi Colleen,
Thank you!!! Be sure to let me know what you think. I can’t wait to hear your results.
14 Annie // Jul 4, 2008 at 7:46 pm

Hmmm, I’ve just had a Donna Hay failure too - vanilla cake from Off the Shelf (I think - too lazy to go and look :)) The batter was far too thick so I added a whole cup of milk! And I always thought Donna was perfect…..
15 Colleen // Jul 5, 2008 at 5:34 am

Christie…I’m sorry. They loved them. I half liked/ loved them.

I just posted it
16 Christie // Jul 5, 2008 at 12:52 pm

Hi Aimee,
Oh no! Thanks for letting me know. With so many hundreds of recipes there’s sure to be a few duds

Hey Colleen,
Thanks so much for testing them for me!
I am glad you adapted the recipe and they worked out. I would have done the exact same thing if I wasn’t following the recipe to the letter for the First Thursdays Event. It definitely doesn’t work the way Donna suggests.

Everyone - pop on over to Colleen’s blog to check them out!
17 Sophie // Jul 5, 2008 at 3:21 pm

I had a bad cake-baking experience today too, but that was because I was conducting a kitchen experiment :D. I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out.
18 Colleen // Jul 6, 2008 at 12:45 am

yep…they are good if you don’t follow the recipe

sounds like page from my life story lol!
19 maybelles mom (feeding maybelle) // Jul 7, 2008 at 1:56 am

good for you for being honest; at least we all know that self saucing is like free with no strings attached.
20 Laura @ Hungry and Frozen // Jul 7, 2008 at 11:47 am

Well, they look really pretty I’m not big on Donna Hay but she certainly *seems* reliable, and it always sucks when a recipe doesn’t work out. *facepalm* I totally missed First Thursdays! And it’s so long to go till the next one…:(
21 thursday night smackdown » Blog Archive » July 2008 First Thursday: The Roundup // Jul 8, 2008 at 1:02 am

[...] the COMPLETE ABSENCE of cynanide, Fig & Cherry is less than thrilled with the Self-Saucing Chocolate Puddings from seemingly omnipresent Aussie foodie Donna Hay’s June/July 2008 magazine. [...]
22 Joelen // Jul 8, 2008 at 3:20 am

Great combo of flavors and it looks excellent!
23 _ts of [eatingclub] vancouver // Jul 8, 2008 at 4:54 pm

It seems that our “celebrity chefs” have both let us down!

Mario has led us astray!!!
24 Rebecca (Foodie With Family) // Jul 9, 2008 at 12:13 am

They may not have tasted great- but you sure made them look nice! Looking at the ingredient list it doesn’t appear that much could go wrong, but I guess nothing (*gasp* not even chocolate) is foolproof…

I love self-saucing cakes when they’re done right. I feel like I’m doing a magic trick with them!
25 sekerziyafe // Oct 14, 2008 at 8:41 pm

wonderfull! mmm very tasty, thank you for note…
26 Gina // Oct 15, 2008 at 10:43 am

This looks delightful!
27 MissManly // Jul 23, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Donna Hay sucks big time and a lot of people think so.
28 Proscuitto + polenta (cornmeal) muffins | Fig & Cherry // Jan 17, 2010 at 6:01 pm

[...] recipe is based on a Donna Hay recipe I found in the 2009 Christmas edition. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while [...]