Enjoy this decadent, sticky ginger sponge as an alternative to Christmas pudding. Top with a luscious rum caramel and serve with a dollop of cream to make it extra special
Nutrition and extra info
- Vegetarian
Nutrition: Per serving
- kcal618
- fat29g
- saturates17g
- carbs77g
- sugars58g
- fibre2g
- protein6g
- salt1.2g
Ingredients
- 150g frozen unsalted butter, plus extra at room temperature for the basin
Butter
butt-errButter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…
- 120g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Baking powder
bay-king pow-dahBaking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-…
- 120g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
Ginger
jin-jerMainly grown in Jamaica, Africa, India, China and Australia, ginger is the root of the plant. It…
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cinnamon
sin-ah-munA fragrant spice which comes from the inner bark of a tropical tree. When dried, it curls into…
- 150g stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped, syrup reserved for the sauce
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Egg
eggThe ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…
- 100g light brown soft sugar
- 250g black treacle
- 100ml milk
Milk
mill-kOne of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a complete food. While cow…
- extra-thick double cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
For the sauce
- 120ml syrup from a 350g jar stem ginger
- 70ml spiced rum
Rum
rhumRum is a type of spirit based on sugar cane. First produced in the 1600s on slave plantations in…
- 30g salted butter
Butter
butt-errButter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…
- 4 tbsp double cream
Method
Butter a 1.2-litre pudding basin, then press a disc of baking parchment into the base. Heat 4cm water in a heavy-based pan and add a trivet or upturned bowl or saucer to the base.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarb into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and ½ tsp fine salt and stir everything together. Wrap the end of the frozen butter in foil and, holding it by the foil end, coarsely grate the butter into the dry ingredients. Unwrap and discard the foil to grate the last piece. Fold everything together so the butter is evenly distributed. Mix in the stem ginger, eggs, treacle, sugar and milk. Spoon into the pudding basin, leaving a small gap for the sponge to rise, and cover with a disc of parchment. Seal the pudding basin with a tight-fitting lid or a double layer of foil, sealed tightly around the basin and tied with cook’s string. Set on top of the trivet, cover with a lid and steam for 3 hrs, topping up with water so it doesn’t boil dry.
Pour the syrup into a shallow frying pan, bring to the boil and cook until the syrup is turning a deep golden brown. Quickly whisk in the rum and butter, then whisk in the cream and bubble for 2 mins. Gently tip the sponge pudding out of its basin and onto a serving plate. Pour over the rum sauce and serve with thick cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.
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