Treacle Sponge Food

TREACLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC Fan). Grease a 1.5l baking dish.
• In a bowl, mix together lemon juice, zest and golden syrup, pour into the bottom of the baking dish so the entire base is covered.
• In another bowl cream the butter, sugar and salt. Beat in the eggs and fold in the flour. Whisk in milk, so the batter has a dropping consistency.
• Pour mixture into baking dish and spread with a wet spoon or spatula. Bake in the oven for 35-40min. Serve warm with custard or ice cream.

EASY TREACLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the syrup, lemon zest, juice and breadcrumbs and spread over the base of a 1.5 litre baking dish.
• Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one by one. Stir in the flour and milk and dollop over the syrup. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden and risen, and a skewer poked into the sponge comes out clean-ish. Eat with lots of custard, cream or ice cream and extra dribbles of syrup.

TREACLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Butter a 1 litre baking dish, and dollop the syrup in the bottom.
• Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and blitz until pale.
• Beat in the eggs one by one, then the vanilla.
• Add the flour and pulse until just mixed.
• Scrape into the dish, on top of the syrup.
• Either cover with cling film and microwave on medium for 7 1/2 minutes or bake in the oven at 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 oven for 30 minutes until risen and golden.
• Serve with lashings of custard.

TREACLE SPONGE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix together the golden syrup with the breadcrumbs and lemon juice.
• Spoon the mixture into the bottom of a well-greased 2 pint pudding basin and set aside.
• To prepare the sponge, gently cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add the grated lemon rind and slowly whisk in the eggs, a little at a time.
• Sift over the flour and gently whisk the mixture together.
• Add just enough milk for the mixture to drop easily from a spoon.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared pudding basin and cover with a disc of greaseproof paper, followed by a double piece of foil, tied under the rim of the basin with string.
• To steam the pudding: Place a small non-breakable saucer into the base of a large pan.
• Place the basin onto the saucer and fill the pan with boiling water two-thirds up the side of the basin.
• Cover and steam for between 1-3/4 to 2 hours.
• Do not let the water dry out by continually topping up the water to the two-thirds mark.
• Meanwhile, prepare the custard: Pour the milk, cream and the vanilla pod seeds into a small saucepan.
• Place over a gentle heat and slowly bring to the boil.
• In a medium sized bowl and using a wooden spoon mix together the egg yolks and caster sugar.
• Remove the cream mixture from the heat and slowly stir it into the egg mixture.
• Return the mixture back into the saucepan on a gentle heat.
• Stir the custard continuously, until thick without allowing the mixture to boil.
• If the custard becomes lumpy sieve the custard into a large warm jug to remove any lumps that have formed.
• Cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming.
• Remove the treacle sponge from the pan containing the hot water and allow to cool slightly.
• Invert onto a serving plate, ensuring that all the syrup is removed from the bottom of the basin.
• Serve with the custard.