150g/5 1/2 oz unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
250g/9oz good quality dark chocolate
100g/3 1/2 oz light muscovado or brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
125ml/4 fl oz double cream
40g/1 1/2 oz plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
double cream or crème fraiche for serving

Use 30g/1oz of the butter to grease a 1 litre/1 3/4 pint ceramic bowl or pudding basin.

Grate the chocolate (you can do this in a food processor). Place the chocolate, butter and sugar in the food processor and blend until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla, cream, flour, baking powder and eggs to the bowl and process until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bowl, cover tightly with microwave cling film and cook at 100 per cent for 5 minutes or until set. This timing is for a 600-700 watt microwave. If yours is of a higher wattage, reduce the time by 20 seconds or so. Pierce the top of the cling film with a sharp knife and place a plate on top - this will keep it warm.

Let stand for 10 minutes then spoon out onto serving plates and serve with cream or crème fraiche.

Lemon and Lime Syllabub
Serves 4

Whip up a tart and creamy dessert in no time at all. Serve in stemmed wine glasses for extra glamour.

300ml/10fl oz double or whipping cream
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp white wine
1-2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
chocolate shavings, to decorate

Begin whisking the cream and zests, then slowly add the juice, white wine and sugar. (If using a sweet white wine you may not need much sugar.) The consistency should be thick and billowy, but take care not to over whisk. Spoon into individual glasses and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

To make chocolate shavings, use a potato peeler on a bar of dark chocolate and sprinkle on top.

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22 tips and recipes for summer cooking