Golden bling pudding
Finish your meal in style with this glittering wow-factor pud that hides a secret melting centre.
Serves 12 • Ready in 2 hrs
175g unsalted butter
175g light muscovado sugar
4 stem ginger balls in syrup, drained
100ml ginger wine
100g pitted dates, chopped
175g plain flour
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tbsp ground ginger
2tsp ground mixed spice
25g pecan nuts, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6tbsp ginger curd
3tbsp maple syrup
Edible gold stars and edible gold glitter spray (both available from Sainsbury’s)
Jingle bell decoration and indoor sparkler, to decorate
Vanilla ice cream, to serve
1 Grease a 900g pudding basin and line with baking paper. Heat the butter and sugar in a pan with the ginger, ginger wine and dates. Stir until melted, then leave to cool for 5 mins.
2 Tip in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, mixed spice, pecans and eggs, stirring well until all are evenly mixed.
3 Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin. Cover with a pleated piece of baking paper and foil and secure with some string.
4 Put into a steamer, resting over a pan of simmering water. Cover and steam for 1½ hrs, topping up the pan with water as needed.
5 Remove the pudding from the steamer, uncover and trim off the risen pudding top. Insert a spoon handle gently into the centre and spoon in the ginger curd.
6 Upturn the pudding onto a cake stand to serve. Brush the sides with maple syrup, sprinkle over the gold stars and spray with gold glitter. Finish with jingle bells and an indoor sparkler. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Per serving: 316 cals, 15g fat, 8.5g sat fat, 41g carbs
TIP
This is also good served with a ginger toffee sauce: Heat 50g butter and 75g light muscovado sugar in a pan until melted. Stir in 50ml double cream and 2tbsp ginger wine and heat through
Lemon surprise puddings
These lovely little lemon puddings have an irresistible layer of sweet lemon sauce hidden beneath a light sponge topping.
Serves 6 • Ready in 45 mins
100g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
½tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
4 eggs, separated
50g plain flour, sifted
125ml milk
