Treacle Pudding

This yummy steamed pudding is best eaten warm with
lots of whipped cream or thick Devonshire cream.

Ingredients:   

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup golden syrup (treacle)

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add flour and baking powder and fold into egg mixture.

Pour golden syrup into a 4 quart oven-proof glass bowl. (I use a 4 quart Pyrex measuring cup.) Spoon batter over syrup, smoothing with the back of the spoon so that the syrup is sealed into the bottom of the bowl.

There are two methods of cooking the pudding. The traditional method (used by my Mum) produces a fluffy, cake-like dessert, while the microwave version is moister and more dense.

Traditional Method: (Boiled)

Cover the pudding bowl with plastic wrap, then add a layer of aluminum foil. Tie the foil tightly to the bowl with a piece of string. (This will prevent water leaking into the pudding while it is being boiled.) Place the pudding on the stove, in a pot filled with a few inches of boiling water. Place the lid on the pot and boil the pudding for one hour. Uncover the pudding and slide a knife around the edges to loosen it. Invert the bowl onto a serving plate. Add more syrup to the top if desired.

Microwave Method:

Cover the pudding bowl with plastic wrap. Place in microwave oven on 50% power level. My microwave oven (which is not a powerful one) cooks the pudding in 12 to 13 minutes, but I check for hot spots often as the syrup scorches easily.

If you use the microwave method, check the pudding frequently after the first six minutes of cooking time. When cooked the pudding will take on the consistency of a very moist muffin. Slide a knife around the edges of the bowl to loosen the pudding and invert the bowl onto a serving plate. Add more syrup if desired.