I don’t know how I manage to have a near empty fridge every time we have people come to stay for the weekend. It’s uncanny. We have so many meals during the week, that seemingly throw themselves together, that I’d be happy to have an audience for, but when we actually have friends sitting at the table with us the simplest pasta or grain concoction hits the plate with a salad on the side calling itself dinner. I blame chatting and drinking tea and watching sunsets and patting cows.

We have just spent a gorgeous farmy weekend with a couple of our favourite buddies from Melbourne and although they are both keen beans when it comes to good food, we all seemed to let that slip down the priority list in favour of hanging by the fire and talking our way through the big questions in life, tempered with holding-our-cheeks laughter. Maybe that level of nourishing conversation and connection makes you forget about your tummy’s hunger? Another kind of deliciousness.

So this self saucing raw cacao pudding actually happened the night after our friends flew home. Yep. Totally screwed up the timing on that one, unless it counts as practice for next time. Who knows, I might even have the ingredients I need to make it, with a couple of months notice up my sleeve. Or we could just laugh at the fact I never manage to pull off that level of organisation, and have another cup of tea. Either/or works amongst good friends.

Raw Cacao & Chocolate Marmalade Tea Pudding

serves 6-8

125 g organic spelt flour

120 g organic panela sugar

3 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp organic raw cacao powder

250 ml organic soy or nut milk

80 g organic coconut butter, melted

2 organic just-laid eggs

1 tsp organic vanilla bean paste

185 g organic panela sugar

2 tbsp organic raw cacao

250 ml strong Chocolate Marmalade Tea

Brew up a pot of Chocolate Marmalade Tea and once it has steeped for 4-5 minutes, pour off 250ml to include into the recipe and then grab your favourite cup and sip on the rest while you’re cooking.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a large bowl, mix the spelt flour, 120g panela sugar, baking powder and 4 tablespoons of cacao. Add in the milk, coconut butter, eggs and vanilla paste and beat with an electric mixer until combined.

Pour into an ovenproof pudding bowl.

Sprinkle the pudding batter with the remaining cacao and panela, then carefully pour the hot tea over the top. I use the back of a spoon to ensure the river of tea has a soft landing to avoid ‘erosion’ on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.