Channel your inner Nigella Lawson with these 3 wickedly good chocolate puds - including Guinness cake

If, like us, you're sad that chocolate week is missing from The Great British Bake Off this year, take a gander at our chocolate puds from the Test Kitchen.

First up, there's a chocolate stout cake, inspired by the opening challenge of this year's Bake Off series. Rich and chocolatey, with the unmistakable bitterness of Guinness to balance the sweetness, it's a wonderfully grown-up take on a choccy cake.

Then there's a self-saucing pudding, inspired by this week's signature challenge, elevated with spiced, boozy baked pears. As food director Jen Bedloe said, "That glossy sauce could get a handshake from Paul Hollywood himself!" And to top it all off, we've got an unbeatable bread and butter pudding made with croissants for extra buttery goodness and chocolate thrown into the mix, of course. Autumnal, indulgent and a little bit decadent, we reckon these would be right up Nigella's street.

There's something to be said for Nigella's approach to puds: indulgence isn't something to be earned, but something to be enjoyed. So, whichever recipe takes your fancy, grab a spoon, dig in and don't hold back!

1. Chocolate Guinness cake

• Serves 10-12
• Prep 20 mins
• Cook 50-60 mins
• Per serving (for 12): 553 cals, 29g fat, 18g sat fat, 63g carbs

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 250ml Guinness stout
• 225g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing the tin
• 80g cocoa powder
• 1tbsp instant coffee granules
• 200g caster sugar
• 150g soft light brown sugar
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 150g soured cream
• 2tsp vanilla bean paste
• 275g plain flour
• 2 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• For the frosting:
• 100g white chocolate
• 60g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 115g icing sugar
• 115g cream cheese
• You will need:
• 20cm high-sided, loose-bottomed cake tin, greased and the base lined

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160C Fan. In a saucepan, warm the Guinness and butter until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder, instant coffee and both sugars. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool for a little while.
2. Meanwhile, in a jug, combine the eggs, soured cream and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the Guinness mixture, whisking to combine. Finally, whisk in the flour and bicarbonate of soda until no dry patches remain.
3. Pour the mix into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60 mins, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove the tin from the oven, place on a wire rack and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.
4. For the frosting, melt the white chocolate, then leave to cool to room temperature. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until fluffy. Gradually beat in the cream cheese, bringing the mixture back to a smooth consistency before adding more. Add the melted chocolate, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating again until well combined to ice the cake as you like.

2. Self-saucing chocolate pud with caramelised pears

• Serves 6
• Prep 15 mins
• Cook 35-40 mins
• Per serving: 522 cals, 15g fat, 8g sat fat, 89g carbs

Ingredients

• For the sponge:
• 150g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1/4tsp salt
• 120ml whole milk
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 75g butter, melted
• For the sauce:
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g light brown soft sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 300ml just-boiled water
• For the baked pears:
• 2tbsp light brown soft sugar
• 1/2tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1-2tsp spiced rum
• 3 ripe pears, halved and cored
• You will need:
• 20-25cm baking dish, lightly greased, and a lined baking tray

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160C Fan. For the baked pears, mix the sugar, vanilla, oil and rum in a small bowl. Fill the empty core of each pear half with the mix, spreading over the cut face. Put cut side up on the lined baking tray and set aside.
2. Whisk together the sponge ingredients, then pour into the prepared baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars and cocoa for the sauce, then sprinkle evenly over the sponge batter. Pour the boiled water over the top – do not mix.
3. Carefully transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 35-40 mins, adding the tray of pears after 10 mins, until the top of the pud is set and forms a crust, and the pears are golden and tender. Leave to cool for 10 mins before serving.
4. Best enjoyed immediately out of the oven!

Best baking buys

These are our top picks of the kit that will help you take these recipes to Bake Off level, but if you're after the exact equipment used on the show, we've got all the links here.

3. Croissant bread and butter pudding with blackberries

• Serves 6
• Prep 10 mins
• Cook 50 mins
• Per serving: 601 cals, 24g fat, 13g sat fat, 78g carbs

Ingredients

• 6 all-butter croissants
• 150g blackberry jam, plus extra to serve if liked
• 150g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
• 6 medium free-range eggs
• 150g caster sugar
• 2tsp vanilla bean paste
• 700ml whole milk
• 100g frozen blackberries
• You will need:
• 23-25cm ovenproof skillet or baking dish, well buttered

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150C Fan. Slice the croissants in half and spread each generously with the blackberry jam, then add a square of milk chocolate.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and fully combined.
3. Tear or cut the croissants into large chunks and then arrange them in the prepared baking dish. Scatter over the remaining milk chocolate and frozen blackberries, tucking some between the croissant pieces.
4. Pour the custard mixture into the dish, pressing the croissants down lightly so they absorb some of the liquid. Leave to stand for 5-10 mins if you have time.
5. Bake for 50 mins or until golden and lightly puffed with a gentle wobble in the centre, then leave to stand for 10 mins and serve warm.

Thankfully, we've been able to test our pudding recipes with a bit less time pressure than the Bake Off contestants, so we know they will give you great results. Don't be unnerved by the look of a self-saucing pudding before it goes in the oven - something magical happens while it's in there to produce an intensely glossy sauce.

These puds are also perfect for Halloween, with their gorgeously dark colour and autumnal flavours. Have a go at adding a spooky twist by piping a spider's web over the Guinness cake or add some ghoulish faces to the pear halves on the self-saucing pud.