Rich chocolate puds

Preheat oven to 180 ºC. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Butter 6 metal baking rings (10 cm diameter) and place them on a baking sheet. In a large saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence until thick and pale in colour. Add it to chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly. In another bowl, beat 60 ml of sugar with the egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Spoon mixture into baking rings until they are half full. Divide the chocolate between the 6 rings and insert into the centre of each ring and then cover with the remaining mixture. Freeze rings until mixture is solid. Place them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes have puffed slightly over the top of the rings. Once done, allow them to cool and unmould. Serve immediately.
Makes 6.