Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C), 350F, Gas Mark 4. Grease a 1.5L shallow oven-proof dish with butter and set aside in a roasting tray.

Chop the chocolate and place in a small pan with the milk. Place over a medium heat and warm gently, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove and leave the cool slightly.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, add the egg yolks and stir everything together well. Set aside.

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric whisk until stiff.

Stir the cooled chocolate milk into the flour mixture until well blended. Then gently fold the egg whites through until well blended. Pour it gently into the prepared dish. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting tray to come halfway up its sides.

Pop in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove and quickly arrange the creme egg halves, open side up and mini eggs scattered all over the top. Return for the remaining time and once cooked, the pudding should be almost set but still with a slight wobble in the middle. Carefully remove the dish from the tray and scatter with the crumbled flake. This is delicious served with cream or ice-cream.

TIPS

To make this a chocolate orange pudding rather than an Easter one, stir the finely grated zest of 1 orange into the chocolate mixture and pour over 175g of marmalade, which has been spread in the bottom of the dish. Omit the Easter chocolate decorations on top.

For a chocolate banana version, slice 3 bananas in half down their length and arrange flat across the top of the pudding mixture at the time you would have added the Easter decorations.

Photo (c) Ramona Farrelly