PUDDING HEAVEN
Ginger and apple puds
SERVES 6
150g (5½oz) essential Waitrose Butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
175g (6oz) unrefined dark brown soft sugar
3 medium Waitrose Columbian Blacktail eggs, beaten
150g (5½oz) self-raising flour
3 pieces of Waitrose Chinese Stem Ginger in Syrup
2 small Cox or Royal Gala apples créme fraîche, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas Mark 4. Butter 6 x 200ml (7fl oz) pudding basins and line the base of each with a disc of parchment. Cut 6 squares of kitchen foil, about 15x15cm (6x6in) in size, butter one side of each square and set aside.
2 In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat 150g (5½oz) of the sugar with the butter, until very pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, then the flour. Strain the ginger, saving about 3 tbsp of the syrup, and finely chop. Peel, core and dice 1 apple. Mix it into the cake mixture with the ginger.
3 Cut the top and bottom from the remaining apple. Cut the apple into 6 horizontal slices. Sprinkle the remaining sugar onto a plate and dip the apple slices in, to coat thickly. Place a slice into the base of each basin.
4 Divide the cake mixture between the 6 basins and level each surface. Cover tightly with the foil squares.
5 Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until risen and spongy to the touch. Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes.
6 Use a sharp knife to loosen the edge of each sponge and turn out. Drizzle with the reserved ginger syrup.
Tip Use smaller apples so that when sliced, the pieces easily fit into the base of each pudding basin. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cherry chocolate cheesecake jam jar dessert
MAKES 2
300g (10½oz) plain cream cheese
1 tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra to serve
a handful of ginger biscuits
1 tbsp caster sugar
300ml (10fl oz) double cream
cherry compote
1 Mix the cream cheese with the cocoa powder until you have a smooth, velvety texture. Don’t mix it too much, as you want some of the chocolate layering to show up when you fill the jam jars.
Place the ginger biscuits into a plastic bag and smash them until they’re small enough to use as a biscuit base.
