Golden-syrup sponge pudding recipe
There's something deliciously satisfying about a warm golden-syrup sponge pudding. Pleasure in every mouthful.
Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 45 minutes, five minutes resting
You will need:
1.2 litre pudding basin
Large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid Trivet, steaming basket or scrunched-up greaseproof paper
70cm greaseproof paper, folded in half
70cm tinfoil, folded in half
220cm cotton string, folded in half
125g light brown muscovado sugar
125g soft room-temperature butter, plus extra to butter the basin
3 eggs
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp black treacle
2 tbsp milk
200g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
To serve:
200ml golden syrup
1 tsp black treacle
Custard or clotted cream
[See also: Melt-in-your-mouth brownie recipe]
Method
1. Beat the sugar and butter together with a wooden spoon (or electric beaters), until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, until smooth. Add the syrup, treacle and the milk, and mix well. Beat in the flour and baking powder a quarter at a time. Butter the basin generously with softened butter, to stop the sponge sticking when turning out. Spoon the mixture into the basin and level off the surface.
2. Make a pleat in the centre of the greaseproof paper and tinfoil. Place the greaseproof paper over the filled basin (pleat down the middle) and repeat with the foil. Tie with string, taking the excess string over and tying under the string on the other side, to make a handle. Sit the basin in the pan on the trivet and pour in boiling water one third of the way up the side of the basin. Return the water to boiling, then turn down to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam for one hour 45 minutes. Add more boiling water if necessary.
3. When the pudding has cooked, leave for five minutes, then carefully lift from the pan, snip the string and remove the paper and tinfoil cover. Put a serving plate on top of the basin and put a cloth over the basin (it will still be hot). Holding both the basin and the serving plate with both hands, invert the pudding and give a sharp shake to loosen it on to the plate.
4. Heat the golden syrup and black treacle together and pour most of it over the hot pudding. Serve with custard or clotted cream and the remaining syrup mixture.
Tip: Make sure the mixture in the basin is well-sealed with greaseproof paper and tinfoil. This prevents moisture getting in during steaming. If you don’t have a trivet to protect the basin, scrunch up a large piece of greaseproof paper for the bottom of the pan.
Delicious alternative: To make a marmalade pudding, follow these instructions, using marmalade, instead of syrup. For raspberry jam pudding, melt 200ml raspberry jam and pour most of it over when still hot. Serve the remainder with each portion.
Photographs, Richard Jung. Creative Director, Mary Norden. Recipe and food styling, Linda Tubby.Prop Styling, Roisin Nield
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