Winter is here! After an extremely arduous day in gale force winds and 2m swell bashing back from Queenscliff on Sunday, Monday, Queens Birthday seemed like it was sent from the heavens to help me recuperate. Happy Birthday Ma’am, and all that. I’m not sure what I am about to recount really qualifies for my Layering-up in June theme (apart from the obvious layers of “insulation” caused by eating too much of it), but I’m pretty sure my Golden Syrup Pudding is totally apt for the birthday of someone so British as Elizabeth R (even though it’s not really her birthday). I’m going to say it does qualify for Layering-up June. There are definitely two layers here.

This pudding harks back to “stodge and custard” desserts of yore, with two vital differences. There is no stodge, just wonderfully fluffy vanilla cake. And there is also no custard, just lashings of un-whipped cream. Basically, a ruinous amount of golden syrup (for preference the pale golden British stuff made by Lyle’s, the antipodean stuff is less classy) goes into a pudding basin, topped with a light and creamy vanilla cake mixture. The whole lot goes into the oven and gets baked, or if you are feeling really trad, you can steam it. I couldn’t be bothered this time.

This pudding has “Thank God It’s Winter” written all over it in such big letters you have to be on the Moon to see them properly.

Golden Syrup Pudding (without stodge or custard)

serves 4 very greedy and tired sailors (or one very greedy and tired sailor (me) 4 times)

ingredients

100g unsalted butter
120g sugar
2 eggs
150g self raising flour
1 tsp salt
50mL milk
2 tsp good quality vanilla essence
2/3 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup

liquid cream, to serve

mixing

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add the self raising flour and salt and beat well. Add the milk and beat until very light and fluffy.

Grease a 20cm pudding basin (a round heatproof glass or ceramic bowl will do!) with butter or non-stick spray and tip the golden syrup in to cover the bottom of the basin. Carefully spoon the cake batter over the top, taking care not to tip it in all at once because its weight will displace the golden syrup and you want that to stay at the bottom. Smooth the surface of the mixture. Bake at 160 degrees C for about 45 minutes or until the pudding is golden and nicely risen. Alternatively, cover the top of the pudding basin with two sheets of baking paper and a layer of tin foil, secure the top with string, and place in a large saucepan filled to about 5cm deep with boiling water (make sure the water doesn’t come more than 2/3 of the way up the pudding basin!), cover the saucepan with a lid and steam, keeping the water boiling, for about 1 hour (you may need to top up the water during this time).

To serve, either spoon straight from the dish like I did, or run a knife carefully around the outside of the pudding, and upturn onto a plate. You’ll probably need to scrape some remaining syrup off the bottom of the basin – tip it back over the pudding!

 

Yum. I hope you find this lovely pudding as comforting as I do.

Enjoy!xxx