Treacle Sponge Pudding

Method

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1. Butter a 1.2 litre pudding basin thoroughly.

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2. Mix the 6 tbsp golden syrup with the breadcrumbs and lemon zest and spoon it into the base of the basin.

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3. Cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.

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4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each to stop it splitting.

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5. Fold in the rest of the flour and the salt, then the milk and vanilla, to a soft dropping consistency.

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6. Spoon the sponge over the syrup and level the top.

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7. Cover with pleated baking paper and foil and tie under the rim.

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8. Steam over boiling water 2 hours, topping up with boiling water as needed.

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9. Rest 5 minutes, turn out onto a deep plate and pour the warmed syrup over.

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Chef’s Tips

• Breadcrumbs under the syrup, or there is no sauce at the end.
• Five minutes of creaming. There is no oven to help it rise.
• Top up with boiling water only.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• No self-raising flour to hand? Use the same weight of plain flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 150 g.

Pairing Suggestions

• Hot custard
• Clotted cream
• Nothing before it

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 3 days. Re-steam 30 minutes.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.