Nursery Pudding!

On Tuesday evening, a friend came for dinner.  I was just preparing a baked cheesecake dessert when Andy, who was catching up on a cookery show, spotted that one of the featured dishes was a steamed, treacle pudding.  He immediately suggested that I cease production of the cheesecake and serve a syrup pud instead as “B would enjoy it”.  Other, stronger, women would have told him to make it himself but sad, sweet-toothed individual that I am, I was tempted myself.  Enough said! Several hours later, we tucked into sponge and custard and the cheesecake was ready for the freezer!

 

Treacle Pudding by Angela Hartnett

Ingredients

180g/6oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

3 tbsp golden syrup

180g/6oz plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

3 free-range eggs

180g/6oz Demerara sugar

1 tbsp black treacle

Preparation method

1. Grease a 1litre/1¾ pints pudding basin with butter. Put the golden

syrup in to the bottom of the basin.

2. In a separate bowl, using an electric hand whisk, mix the flour,

baking powder, butter, eggs, sugar and treacle until well combined.

3. Pour the mixture into the basin and cover with a piece of greaseproof

paper.

4. Take a piece of tin foil and make a pleat down the middle, then place

this over the top of pudding basin and tie it in place like a lid. The

pleat allows the foil to expand during cooking.

5. Place an upturned saucer or a ramekin in a deep saucepan and sit

the pudding on top. Add boiling water until it comes half-way up the

basin. Place a lid on the pan and simmer gently to stream the

pudding for about 2¼ hours, topping up the water as necessary.

6. To check if the pudding is cooked, insert a metal skewer into the

pudding. If it comes out clean it is ready.

7. Carefully remove the pudding from the pan. Loosen the edges by

running a knife around the pudding and turn out onto a plate