Golden Syrup Steamed Pudding

With custard and cream

I know I seem to post only sporadically but as I am so busy the last thing I think about is my blog. In fact I remember to take photos but because I leave it so long to post I forget where I got the recipe from! Believe you me it can get very very frustrating sometimes. This week I have been stuck in the house with a sick Harry. He has been so sick that he hasn't even done any ballet practice....and anyone who knows him would know that this is not usual for him. He has even had to miss ballet today much to his disappointment. Anyway because I have had this enforced time at home (it always feels way worse to be at home  when it isn't something you have planned), I have had time to do things I wouldn't normally have done...like sort out my messy and far too full spare room. This bedroom is my overflow kitchen as I have too much stuff to keep in my kitchen.....signs of being a hoarder for cookware maybe? 

Anyway I digress. Because it has been winter here, (even though you wouldn't think that lately), I always feel like making stodgy steamed puddings and warming casseroles etc so this night I really felt like an old fashioned steamed pudding. I had tried one earlier in the week from Simon Gault's new cookbook. That recipe was your 'if it doesnt' sound right it probably isn't' kind of recipe. I knew it couldn't work yet I went ahead and followed it to the letter. BIG MISTAKE! It was awful...dense, stodgy in a bad way and downright disastrous  This recipe I found in Linda Hallinan's column in the Sunday Star Times magazine. It was delicious and all things that a good old fashioned steamed pudd should be. Try it whatever you do. You could make it with jam as well I would think but I love the caramely flavour golden syrup so I stuck with that.

Golden Syrup Steamed Pudding

Grease a 1 L pudding basin (I use a ceramic one) and put about 1/2 c golden syrup in the bottom (you could use less if you like).

Cream 100 g butter and 1/2 c sugar until light and fluffy then beat in 2 eggs and stir in 1/4 c apricot jam. Fold in 2 c flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Dissolve 1 tsp baking soda in 1 c warm milk and add to the mixture then spoon into the pudding basin. Cover with a couple of layers of greaseproof paper (put a pleat in the top), and tie string around the top. Steam about an hour but I found mine was a little undercooked so next time would go for a 1 1/4 hours. Make sure the pot doesn't run dry so add boiling water as you need it.