In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and creamy. Beat in half of the eggs. Sift together the flour and baking powder and stir half into the butter mixture. Stir in the remaining eggs and then the rest of the flour and baking powder. Transfer half of the batter to another bowl.

Add the almond extract and half of the chocolate chips to one bowl of batter; stir to mix well.

In a small bowl, stir the milk, cocoa and vanilla extract until blended. Add this cocoa mixture and the remaining chocolate chips to the second bowl of batter; stir to mix well.

Batter a 4-cup pudding basin. Drop alternating heaping tablespoons of batter from each bowl into the basin; it will be about three-fourths full.

Cover the basin with a sheet of buttered wax paper and a sheet of aluminum foil, pleated together in the center to allow for expansion. Twist and crimp the foil tightly around the rim or tie securely with string to seal. Tie the basin in a kitchen towel sling (see Note) and lower it onto a rack or folded towel in a steamer or large, deep pot filled with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the basin.

Cover and steam over moderate heat for 1-1/2 hours, replenishing the boiling water at regular intervals. To check for doneness, remove from the heat, uncover and carefully raise an edge of the paper. Insert a skewer or sharp knife into the center of the pudding; it should come out almost clean. If there is wet batter clinging to it, replace the cover and steam the pudding a bit longer. Unmold the pudding onto a platter. Serve hot with warm Chocolate-Amaretto Sauce.

basin in the center of a linen or cotton kitchen towel. Bring up two diagonal corners of the towel and knot the ends securely. Tie the other two corners of the towel in the same fashion.

Chocolate Amaretto Sauce: Place the chocolate, sugar, and cream in a small, heavy saucepan. Warm gently over very low heat just until the chocolate melts. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Do not allow the sauce to boil. Remove from the heat. Add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in the amaretto. This sauce is also great at room temperature over ice cream. Makes about 3/4 cup.

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