Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding (and How to Pinterest)

Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding (0027) by Meeta K. Wolff

While I wait for Spring to fully arrive at the markets I am satisfying the deep sweet cravings with chocolate … and coffee. It’s an intense but exquisite pairing that one can very easily get addicted to. Doesn’t addiction come is so many forms?

I have to admit that there are times when I let myself get hooked onto a novel idea, element or feature and I will spend a good deal of time discovering and indulging into it. It keeps me constantly on my toes and I feel that some good comes out of the many addictions I have had in the past.

Photography would be one, food the other and putting it together I do not have to tell you where it led me. These past few weeks have been wonderfully busy for me in all sorts of ways. A few great photo jobs, features and articles in some German magazines and working on the contents of a few upcoming workshops and on other projects has kept me engaged.  While this is all food for my photography addiction, I am missing my addiction of voyeurism!

I love browsing the internet going from blog to website, reading articles and getting caught up in beautiful images and leaving a comment here or there on things that move me. I love watching what material the Big Net produces.

One site I truly love is Pinterest: it feeds my addiction of ogling at all things gorgeous and I love collecting these beautiful things on my own boards. Shoes, stunning locations, exquisite kitchens, my schoolgirl crushes, words of inspiration  - you name it - a pin and it is on my board! I love opening these boards for inspiration for whatever project I am working on. My fitness board motivates me to train sensibly, my color palettes board allows me to pair innovative color schemes while I style my food shot and my food photography board inspires me with new ideas. So, I use Pinterest as a style board, mood board or inspiration board. What makes Pinterest pretty neat is that like all social sharing sites you can share allowing you to collect more ideas and connect with like minded (or pinned) folk.

GRK Shooting (0047) by Meeta K. Wolff

BUT …. and there is a big but … Pinterest has a very, at best described as, a grey area at how they address their terms and copyright issues. Currently there is a lot of blazing media coverage about Pinterest, causing many people to delete their Pinterest boards or accounts because the general thought is, it is illegal or plain wrong to be posting/pinning other people’s stuff.

As a photographer, I was on the verge of deleting my boards too. I am against copyright infringement and plagiarism and my first reaction was not to have any part of it. But then, the more I read the more I began to think about how things are evolving in our world. We exchange news, thoughts, emotions, provocations through smart phones, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, many of us invite voyeurism into our own living rooms to be a part of what we do and be a part of who we are.

Pinterest is just another social sharing site that invites you to share your favorite things for the world to see. So far so good. How do I feel about my images being pinned all over Pinterest? I had mixed feelings about this (and to a certain extent still do). For starters, I have always marked my images with the URL of either my blog or portfolio - it is something I advise everyone to do. In the past I had to deal with copyright issues, where my watermark was literally cropped and added to websites or leading newspapers printing my images without permission. Both these cases were, in my opinion, copyright infringement with intent.

Don’t get me wrong - Pinterest does have a copyright problem and they really have to correct the way they operate and they need to change the way users are using Pinterest. One of the biggest issues that Pinterest needs to address is the way that Pinterest makes copies of the images people pin without creating a link to the original source. What happens is that it actually makes a copy of the image and while the copy does link back to the source from which the image was pinned it is not always the original source of the respective image. As copyright obviously prohibits making copies, this creates a big issue for Pinterest.

Pinterest is new territory and I think it’s hard to know how one should proceed. “Is Pinterest legal?” is the big question and after all the things I have read, I think the answer is - no one knows for sure. Fact is, Pinterest needs to hear what users are asking and make modifications to many aspects of their service - it is a great service, which can be made better if a lot of the issues on hand were addressed. I do know they are - they implemented a 500 character limit after a few mails sent by users, including myself, requesting this feature. Another feature I would love to see is creating private boards, where things I collect are reserved for me and I decide when and if I want to share.

I have made a few decisions about the way I plan to use Pinterest in the future. Until they make the required amendments I am throttling the use of Pinterest:

  • I am not deleting my Pinterest account. At this point I would like to see how Pinterest reacts to all the media and how they change. So, I will stick around for now.

  • I am going through a lot of my pins and will be deleting those photography based images of food, travel etc. and anything that does not come from the original source. In the past I have made the effort and many of the food images credit the photographer but I have not always been consistent. I will be going back to those and deleting them. 

  • If I do pin photographs it will be from sites that explicitly have the “Pin it” button. It seems reasonable to me that if someone has added this button on their posts or blogs they are OK with people pinning.

  • I am discontinuing the usage of the “repin” function. I will check each pin and pin directly from the original source. The extra few clicks are worth it.

  • Instead I am using the “Like” function more and more as an intermediate “storage space” and point of reference.

  • The things I do pin I will add a nice teaser to encourage a click through to the original source where they will find a lot more details on the original post.

  • I am saving items I really like on my Evernote account. Two different tools, I know, but Evernote allows me to collect content without the copyright issues.

  • I also reserve the right to change my mind - as Pinterest is making an effort to change a few aspects and features I will be watching and will react accordingly. For now this is the status quo.

I won’t be able to tackle these points immediately but have already started “cleaning up” my boards. It’ll take some time but I’d like to continue to use Pinterest further, hopefully in the future not quite in the suppressed manner as I am planning to do, because let’s be honest, who wants to indulge in an addiction half-heartedly?

Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding (0020) by Meeta K. Wolff

There is certainly nothing half-hearted about my dessert for you today. After all the thinking and re-thinking about what is correct and what is not, I needed something to boost my spirits, something I knew would be perfect for my chocolate and coffee addiction. No holding back and no throttling, although maybe it should be marked as illegal - it’s too darned good!

Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding (0021) by Meeta K. Wolff 

Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding

Printable version of recipe here

 Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding by Meeta K. Wolff

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes + cooling time
Serves: approx. 8

Ingredients:

  • 225g butter + more for pan, cubed
  • 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), coarsely chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 250g muscovado sugar
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 250ml boiling water

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 18cm square form with butter and line baking paper.

  2. Place 225g butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt over a low-medium heat. Do not stir as it this will overwork the dark chocolate.

  3. In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and smooth. Fold in the chocolate mixture, then add the flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Finally, beat in the coffee and 250ml boiling water. The batter should be thick and smooth Pour into the prepared form and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. If the pudding is still slightly sticky in the middle that is perfectly OK.

  4. Cool for about 20-30 minutes before serving with your favorite ice-cream and some fresh raspberries.

Verdict

Chocolate Espresso Sponge Pudding (0024) by Meeta K. Wolff

It’s decadently sticky and moist on the inside and intensely chocolaty. The subtle flavors of coffee highlights the sponge pudding giving it a brilliant boost. We enjoyed the sponge pudding still warm with scoops of dulche de leche ice cream and fresh raspberries. It’s quick and easy to make and great to make with kids.

Over on the Plate to Page website we’ve got a fantastic new example of the type of assignments participants work on during our 2.5 days workshop. A piece from Olivia Vasallo and Alexandra Asnaghi, two fabulously feisty Mediterranean ladies who attended  our Tuscany 2011 Workshop. The assignment was to write and photograph for an article titled "Eating in Tuscany" in the style of a high-end foodie magazine such as Saveur. Hope you enjoy the read!

Maybe you would like to come join us for Plate to Page Somerset due to be held in the UK in May!  Have a look at the programme, details about accommodation, and then can register here.

From the 3rd to 4th April I will be Nasimi Beach, Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai for a 2-day Workshop, focusing exclusively on food photography and styling. If you are in the area maybe you would like to join us there. You’ll find more details on the Workshop Website.

More chocolate decadence from WFLH:

Morello Cherry Chocolate and Cognac Teacakes Chocolate Pavlova with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse, Honey Roasted Peaches and Fresh Raspberries Light Mousse au Chocolat with Baileys Crème Caramel


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2012 Meeta Khurana Wolff unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

Continue »

44 comments:

  1. That pudding looks absolutely divine - more like a brownie!
    I'm fascinated by the ongoing debate that is Pinterest - for now I'd like to continue to enjoy using it, but carefully and accountably until any more information comes out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think your approach to Pinterest is good. I would also assume if someone has a pin it button, that they are ok with their stuff getting pinned. And yes, evernote rocks :)

    Now onto happier topics, where did you get that beautiful vintage camera!!! LOVE!!! And that sponge pudding looks just delectable :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. pinterest definitely inspires and one can actually spend the whole day on it. I hope they sort out the copy right issue.

    Onto some more yummier things, the espresso chocolate sponge pudding looks yum. Will you please tell me on how can i replace the eggs in the recipe ? thanks a lot !!

    Shweta

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Pinterest too, but would be happy if they changed their laws on copyright....

    What a sinful looking pudding!

    As always, your pictures are delightful.

    Congrats on all your achievements!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the idea of pinning only stuff from pages with a 'pin it' button. That should cover the legalese problem with copyright infringement.

    OTOH, I have marked all my flickr stuff as no-share, and I won't have ppl pinning my works. Why? I love having traffic come over from Pinterest, no doubt, but... on one hand they say, don't pin anything you don't have (c) or, on the other hand they say, don't promote yourself, so what?

    The whole problem yould easily be solved by (a) Pinterest offering private boards and (b) clear TOS. I surely won't give Pinterest the right to sell my pictures - but I would be willing to pay for a service like pinterest, maybe with some extra features (better organizing of stuff and especially people and boards we follow). Is this going to happen? I don't know. The winner is Evernote at the moment.. after my account lay dormant for quite some time I am willing to look further into that and buy a subscription.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks alot for your frank words about Pinterest. I love pinterest and fully agree with everything you said. I haven't been using the repin button but have always visited the original site from where the photo came from to pin from there. I think it is a nice way of finding new sites to enjoy - if I liked the pin I mostly liked the corresponding blog as well. A private board I would very much appreciate too to pin things I want to remember but not share.You have put into words what I couldn't have done likewise.
    Thanks again.
    Grüße von Christa

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always seem to be lost when it comes to Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, whatever... I flit from one to the other, barely posing down - I just never have time - so I rarely stop to try and understand how to use a space, figure out the difficulties and legal/privacy issues. I personally think we are so inundated with one new media site after another, each with new rules and uses that I get lost. And if I pause on one or the other I waste hours and hours I just can't afford to waste. On the other hand, they do bring me traffic, they are a fabulous way to meet, discover worlds of information and inspiration and communicate with like-minded souls and I don't know where I would be without them! Dilemma! And the chocolate espresso sponge pudding is calling my name! Wow! You've just pushed me into the kitchen to bake something chocolate!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That looks delicious and I WILL be trying it thank you. Having just this morning signed up to Pinterest and really not knowing what I am doing, thanks for the top tips too! Jacqui

    ReplyDelete
  9. The pudding looks beautiful. Thanks for the info on Pinterest, I was skeptical about it

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree that Pinterest, though fabulous, has some copyright issues to work out. In the meantime, I see the Pin It button on my blogs as my invitation to pin those photos, and I look for that on other people's sites, too. I've also changed the copyright statement on my blogs to state that photos only may be pinned, but not recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! Thanks for putting this info together Meeta!


    Your pictures are stunning as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It is not so much the repinning that is the problem as it is repinning from pins not taken direct from the source.

    Anything repinned direct from the source contains the source credit underneath the photo on your boards (this is one thing Pinterest did to address the problem) and if you click on the photo it goes straight to the original material.

    I am an avid cook and while I also love food photography, I am pinning to mark the recipes from blogs that I want to try or use as inspiration in the future, so I always visit the original site to read about how the recipe went together. If a recipe source is there I will repin; if not, I hunt to find the original.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You do know that you, me and Jamie have ALL used those same napkins in a post in the past 2 weeks? LOL!! Gorgeous pud - like a decadent brownie!

    The Pinterest debate is interesting to watch and much of it has taken on a hysterical tone. People are spreading scaremongering stories about lawsuits against individual users being imminent etc etc - and I think a lot of it is sensationalist. As I see it, yes, Pinterest does have some issues with its Terms of Service. It's not that the terms are vague - the terms are perfectly clear. The problem is that the terms shift all responsibility for copyright infringement onto individual users (which , incidentally, is also what Facebook and Tumbler do and no lynch mobs are gathering outside their doors!!). So yes, we need to have more of a think about what kinds of stuff we post (most bloggers see it as promotion; professional photographers and magazines may see it as theft); and how we pin (like you say - take the extra few minutes to find the original source to link to). And also bear in mind that before you can institute legal proceedings against somebody for copyright infringement, you usually first have to serve them with a notice to take down the infringing material, and only if they refuse will legal action ensue! So I think a lot of the panic has been blown WAY out of proportion. Great article & thanks for posting :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like this post, very well articulated and thought out rather than jumping on the band wagon. As we all know there are very few that consciously commit copyright infringement and those that do can most likely do it without Pinterest, however, I also look forward to Pinterest making changes that address concerns that are out there.
    As per usual your photos are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. just on another note - just because a site has a 'pin-it' button does not mean you are not infringing on copyright as that site might not be using original content. They might have gotten permission to post a photo from a photographer, but that photographer didn't necessarily give permission to have it pinned from that site. Just thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think this issue goes deeper than simply sourcing pins correctly. According to their TOS as they currently stand, the act of pinning gives Pinterest right to sell any pinned content. I'm not a lawyer so take this with a grain of salt, but to me there is no way that as a user I have the right to grant Pinterest ability to sell other ppl's' stuff without their permission - so I've deleted all my boards.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love this cake...it's very brownie like in appearance. Which isn't a bad thing!
    As for pinterest. Too much hoo- ha for me! Just add it to the list of ever growing social networks. I'm sure it will sort itself out in the end!

    ReplyDelete
  18. wow! That looks so yum! I think it would satisfy my cravings for a brownie, puing and chocolate cake all in one!
    I too am addicted to Pinterest and will keep your points in mind while using it. I too think that while Pinterest needs to do their bit, we as users have to share responsibly too.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I too thought Pinterest was a good way for people to discover my recipes but today, oh the coincidence, I found many of my photographs pinned but linking to different sites and not my blog. It's the same as taking someone's photograph and adding it to your site. It's a shame actually.
    Anyway, love your pudding, Meeta. It looks like brownies!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Meeta-I'm glad you are bringing these points about Pinterest to the table. The first time I saw one of my images pinned I was flattered. I'm not a photographer by trade, so I felt validated by the fact that others like my photos. Now I am noticing that photos from my blog by other photographers (which I credit right below the photo) are getting pinned without the credit. So there is a situation right there. Where would any blog be without photos to post yet one cannot control what happens when it is swiped by someone else and either pinned, or reblogged. Every night I monitor who has clicked into my blog and when I have found my photos have been used by someone I contact them and ask for their post to be revised to include my credit. It's hard to keep track of but even harder now due to Pinterest. I hope there is a solution soon. Thanks for starting the conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Fantastic dessert Meeta. Anything chocolate works for me. I'm not comfortable posting anything on pinterest. Their terms of services give them the right to sell any posted images. If an artist sues they can go after the pinner directly because by pinning you are agreeing that you own all images you pin. Insane. More chocolate please.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I agree with all your points. I try not to re-pin but I think I'm guilty of it here and there. I will be making an effort not to.

    And as always, what a delicious recipe! I just ate dessert but I could always go for more :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm very new to Pinterest but I found this strange that long before I joined Pinterest...people were pinning pics from my blog..how is that possible? There are definitely copyright issues. Thank you for the useful info.

    Of course, I love your recipe & your gorgeous photos! xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. Pinterest is a wonderful visual board. It has inspired me in many aspects of my creative life. That being said I have made a very conscious effort to pin with an @...giving credit to where I pinned from. I know it is a hot subject with a lot of copyright type issues. I personally use integrity, in that I will repin something but if I use it/post about it I give full credit to it's original source. It's the perfect media for those of us that are visually oriented. I hope that Pinterest will someday always link back to the original source, until then I will use my own integrity because it's the right thing to do.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great post Meeta, and I agree with your point of view on Pinterest. It will be interesting to see where they go with the copyright issue. I would hope that given their massive growth, and recent coverage on this issue that it is the forefront of their agenda to resolve.

    As for your pudding cake, well, it looks absolutely divine.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Meeta, I don't know about pinterest (still confused) but this chocolate sponge pudding is a SIN. A sin I want now!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Meeta
    Ich habe mich schon lange gefragt, was es damit auf sich hat. Danke fuer die Erklaerung. Toller Blog, ich lese schon eine ganze Weile mit.
    LG von der Insel
    Gudrun

    ReplyDelete
  28. Some excellent points raised here Meeta - it'll be really interesting to see how Pinterest goes. There seems to be less focus on something like Tumblr which depends a great deal on reblogging and things also can get lost from the original source.
    Lovely to see Lindt chocolate used - I really believe that you should cook with the good stuff. No nasty cooking chocolate for me! There is some lovely Lindt in the goodie bags for the Dubai workshop so you'll be able to have a bit of your addiction here in the UAE too!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hey Meeta. Good to see your lovely blog again. I see you on FB quite a bit and saw this post yesterday! looove me some espresso-- this makes complete sense in my world.... i'll eat while i'm pinning away. and, hope they can figure it all out. too much at risk if not.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I've been reading the rumors and give it some (not extensive I must admit) thought and I'm glad to see that instinctively I try to do what you suggest here. Follow back to the origin, give credit where credit is due or an extra mention of the site sometimes. Will think about it some more and go back to my pins to see where I can do better.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I think your approach to modifying how you use pinterest is a good one. I think if Pinterest got rid of the repin option, gave members the ability to make their boards private and educated it's members better they could resolve many of these issues. Found you via the thread on Holly Becker's fb...gorg blog & pics by the way :-)

    ReplyDelete
  32. hello, thank you for all this information about pinterest, my self I just pin my articles and photographies, because like you said I don't wont to do wrong stuff, but to say the truth i'm trully happy in some peoples accounts, I discovred, magnificent websites and blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Great!
    you always amaze me with your work,
    very impressive!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for your insightful Pinterest analysis, nice to hear it from a photographer's point of view. I think chocolate is the only addiction that doesn't require a support group. "Hi, I'm Ken and I'm a PROUD chocoholic".

    ReplyDelete
  35. Fascinating topic. Giuliano has deleted his account but I've kept mine; however, I must admit I don't check it as often as I should and I have no idea who is repining what etc... I really appreciate your insight.

    Chocolate pudding that looks brownish? Definitely a winner in our family.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I agree with you on Pinterest and am keeping my boards. I think if used responsibly it can be a wonderful way to inspire and to be inspired and we should be conscientious in attributing credit and linking back to the original source. And now I'm off to pin this post!

    ReplyDelete
  37. No doubt, I am late in reading and posting regarding Pinterest. Hopefully, my response does not go unnoticed.
    I too, am currently and still concerned with Pinterest because a photo I posted to Food Gawker and Tastespotting was picked up by someone on pinterest. That one single photo went viral.
    It has been pinned and re-pinned over 30,000 times.
    When first surged over 6,000 views on my blog in one day, I was thrilled with the traffic. Then I really started following this surge and for the last two months, while I maintain an average of 800 views, very few have clicked on my other blog entries. This, despite I added an update expressing gratitude for the views and requesting people view my other recipes.
    Just when I thought views were calming down, last week, views to this same photo (blog entry) surpassed the higher number back in January by 600 more views, all derived from Pinterest.
    I have been told that when something is re-pinned at a high rate, it moves peoples boards up the chain allowing yet again, greater access, repeating the surge. I can't confirm this information.
    I read a recent article on Blog Her where "Simply Recipe" Blog's recipes and photos had been turned into an e-book and sold on Amazon. Amazon pulled the book but told "Simply Recipe" she would have to pursue royalties from the individual who she discovered was in Taiwan or Thailand. Who besides Walt Disney and Coca Cola have the money to track down a plagiaristic violator?
    My only conclusion is that as long as I want the public to view anything I post, I'm subject to theft of property. I always made certain my photos were too small to print but who prints anymore?
    In any event, I've decided to stop worrying about it or I'll find myself no longer blogging.
    My apologies for the rambling.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I hadn't made huge use of Pinterest yet so it's not been too traumatic to delete my boards and start from scratch.

    I definitely want to use the site in some way however I've blocked it from pinning stuff from my own site for the time being. If my site only featured my own images I would find the decision straightforward, I would be happy to allow my images to be pinned in return for potential traffic and new readers.

    However, as someone who frequently publishes:
    a) blog event round ups of other (possibly non-Pinterest permitting) bloggers' images and
    b) with permission, published images from books/third party sites/brands publicity materials etc
    ... I decided that with the Pinterest TOS as they stood, that potentially other users pinning these third party images might cause a problem that I ended up carrying the can for.

    Thanks for the suggested tactics to work around the Pinterest issue, a lot of the recent hoo-har would not be happening if everyone had had a greater understanding of what is/is not acceptable when pinning images there in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I agree about your stand on pinterest. Such a thin line - knowing or unknowing don't want to get into legal issues - I ended up deliting my boards :(

    Love the pudding - more like a brownie. I just love your pictures. One of my favorite blogs .

    ReplyDelete
  40. Marry me Meeta...LOL! This is a pudding with my name written across it. YUM!
    Pinterest has had me in knots the past week. I deleted my account, but really love the site, so am back in now, but a lot more careful. No repins for me either. Like is a good idea. Thanks for the in depth analysis, a well written one. Miss you chica!!

    ReplyDelete
  41. This looks amazing and I will give it a try this next weekend when my great grandchildren come to visit.

    Thanks,

    Grandma Kat
    XOXOXOXOXO

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thank you all so much for all this valuable feedback and information. So glad you took the time to share your thoughts and opinion on Pinterest. I believe they are listening to what we are saying and making an effort to modify - I hope soon.

    Also knew you would love the choc. espresso combination in this sponge pudding. Thanks for the comments!

    ReplyDelete
  43. this is great. i have never made brownies before from scratch. Now we can easily buy packed powder and mix it. I'm sure this would taste better than the pre mixed. thanks for the recipe! :)

    ReplyDelete
  44. I have visit this blog first time and totally enjoyed it really.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta