The Ultimate Makeover Sponge Pudding Custard Food

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: SPONGE PUDDING & CUSTARD

Steps:

• Very lightly butter a 1-litre pudding basin. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Coarsely grate one of the apple quarters and thinly slice the rest. Combine the sliced apple and blackberries, toss with the 2 tbsp caster sugar and spoon half into the bottom of the basin.
• Mix together the flour and baking powder. Beat both the sugars and butter together in a large bowl with an electric hand beater until light and creamy. Break in 1 egg and beat well, then beat in the second egg (the mix will look curdled). Sift half the flour mixture over the sponge mixture and fold in gently. Carefully stir in half the milk, then repeat with the rest of the flour and milk, followed by the orange zest and reserved grated apple.
• Spoon two-thirds of the sponge mixture over the fruit mix in the basin and level off. Spread the rest of the fruit on top, followed by the remaining sponge mix. Place the basin in a small roasting tin half filled with hot water. Bake for 1¼ hrs (lay foil over the top for the last 15 mins if it is browning too quickly) until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• While the pudding is baking, make the custard. Mix the sugar, custard powder and cornflour with 1 tbsp of the milk to make a paste. Beat in the egg yolk. Pour the remaining milk into a pan, slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Add the pod to the milk and bring just to the boil. Pour this over the cornflour mix, stir, then pour into a clean pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche.
• Loosen pudding from the sides of the basin with a round-bladed knife and carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Serve with the custard.

LEMON OR ORANGE SPONGE CUSTARD (PUDDING)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter a loaf pan (not PAM, use butter) or ramekins.
• Cream butter, sugar, fruit rind.
• Add egg yolks and beat well.
• Stir in flour.
• Add fruit juice and milk alternately (add a little juice and mix; then add a little milk and mix, and repeat until liquid all gone).
• Fold in beaten egg whites.
• Pour into baking dish.
• Place baking dish in larger pan with about 1" water.
• Carefully place in oven; water will slosh about, so move slowly.
• Bake about 45 minutes for ramekins (I have not used ramekins, so check often) or 1 hour for loaf pan. Adjust oven temperature if top is browning too fast. REMOVE FROM OVEN VERY CAREFULLY OR YOU WILL SLOSH BOILING WATER ON YOU.
• Serve warm or cold.
• The recipe says it can be served with a raspberry sauce (I suppose just for the lemon). I have not done this, as it is scrumptious all on its own.
• Serves 4 generous portions; 6 if you just want to tease everyone.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

Steps:

• Chop the dates into small pieces, put in a small bowl then pour over 175ml boiling water. Leave to cool, about 30 mins. Oil (using the ½ tsp oil) then flour 7 x 200ml pudding tins (tapping out excess flour). Sit them on a baking sheet.
• Stir the vanilla and treacle into the dates, and mash with a fork to a rough purée.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the puddings, beat the eggs in a small bowl. Mix the bicarbonate of soda and 175g flour together. Stir the 75ml oil and demerara sugar together in a larger bowl, using a wooden spoon. Pour in the eggs a bit at a time, beating as you go. Gently fold in one-third of the flour with a large metal spoon, then half the yogurt. Don't overmix. Repeat, finishing with the last of the flour. Gently stir the mashed dates in to a thick batter. Spoon evenly between the tins. Bake for 20-25 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the muscovado sugar and butter into a small heavy-based pan. Heat over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar starts to dissolve, without bringing to the boil or it may burn. The mixture will be quite thick, like fudge, and the sugar won't dissolve completely at this stage. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the black treacle and vanilla. Cool for 1-2 mins, then stir in the crème fraîche a spoonful at a time, so it incorporates smoothly into the mixture. If it's a bit lumpy, use a small wire whisk to break them up.
• To serve, loosen around the sides of the puddings with a round-bladed knife, then turn out onto plates. Spoon a little sauce over each one and finish with a drizzle of it on the plate. Puddings and sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead.