Traditional golden syrup steamed pudding
That didn't stop Nancy insisting that "pudding" was served every day, with special effort made for Sundays. During the week, pudding may have been stewed quinces or rhubarb and apple. Weekends were more special. I only remember two of Nancy's puddings: baked rice custard and golden syrup steamed puddings. As the oldest of the grandchildren, I was often called in to help — that meant what seemed like hours creaming the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon, or whisking eggs and milk to make the custard.
Nancy was infamous for her custard — but that's a story for another day.
So important was the golden syrup steamed pudding to our family that my brother gave me my pudding dish, filled with lollies, for my 21st birthday. A gift I still treasure these 35+ years later!
If you don't have a steamer dish with a clip-on lid, you can use any heatproof bowl, preferably with a lip or ridge for the string to sit under. It is important that you keep moisture away from the pudding as it cooks. To do this, you will need two sheets of baking paper and a sheet of aluminium foil that are all wider than the top of the bowl. Place the foil on top of the two sheets of baking paper and form a pleat in all three layers in the centre — this gives room for the expanding pudding. Tie the three layers (foil on top) with string to the bowl. Be careful that the paper is well out of the water, as you don't want to create a wick onto your pudding.
It is important that you place your pudding bowl on a saucer or side plate that is upturned on the bottom of the saucepan. This plate has two functions. It stops the bottom of the pudding bowl touching the saucepan and helps the cooking remain even. It also creates a "bubbling" sound — a gentle rattle as the bubbles of air lift the plate in the simmering water. When the noise stops, the pot has almost boiled dry — not what we want! That would mean you had the temperature too high — we just need a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. It is unlikely for this pudding that you’ll need to top up the water, unlike a Christmas pudding that takes 2–3 hours. But if you do need to add more water, it needs to be boiling — otherwise you’ll change the cooking time by adding cold water.
- 125 ml golden syrup
- 125 g butter (plus extra for greasing)
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 125 ml milk
- 220 g self-raising flour (GF)
Grease a 4-cup pudding basin well. If it has a lid, grease this too.
Using your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale in colour. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add one-third of the flour and mix well, then add one-third of the milk. Continue gradually adding the flour and milk alternately, mixing until well combined.
Carefully place the mixture in the prepared bowl. The basin should be two-thirds full, leaving room for the pudding to rise.
Cover the pudding with the lid, or with a double thickness of baking paper and a final layer of foil, tied on well with string.
To steam:
Steam oven at 100°C for 1 hour.
On stove:
In a large pot, place an upturned plate on the bottom. Stand the pudding basin on the plate and fill the pot with boiling water up to halfway to three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pudding basin. Cover with a lid. Simmer for 75 minutes. NB: You may need to top up the water with boiling water during the cooking process.
To serve, remove the pudding basin lid or baking paper cover.
Carefully invert onto a serving plate.
Serve with extra golden syrup, custard or thickened cream.
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