Chocolate and marmalade sponge pudding with crème anglaise

Place the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl. Using an electric beater, beat until white and fluffy.

Gradually add in the beaten eggs, beating well with each addition. Mix in the orange peel.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a separate bowl and mix together.

Using a wooden spoon, gradually fold the sifted dry ingredients into the butter mixture until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Add the milk if the mixture is too stiff.

Meanwhile, heat the orange marmalade in a small saucepan, stirring well until syrupy.

Pour the hot marmalade into a greased 900ml pudding basin. Add in the sponge mixture.

Cover tightly with pleated kitchen foil, wrap securely with cling film and steam the pudding in a steamer for 1½-2 hours, topping up the hot water in the steamer as necessary.

To make the crème Anglaise, place the cream and vanilla pod in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil.

Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and scrape out the seeds into the cream.

. In a large basin, whisk together the yolks and sugar until pale. Slowly add the hot cream mixture to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you do so.

. Return the cream mixture to the heavy-based saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and coats the wooden spoon. Take care not to allow the crème Anglaise to come to the boil or it will split.

. Pass the crème Anglaise through a fine strainer and serve at once with the steamed chocolate and marmalade pudding.