What’s not to love about a self-saucing pudding? There’s the magic trick of pouring liquid over batter and having it transform, a short time later, to become a thick, luscious sauce under a fluffy, crisp-topped cake.
There’s the fragrance that fills the house on a cold winter’s night. There’s the ease of no-beaters. And there’s the debate about which bit is best – the moist, saucy bottom, or the crisp, fluffy top. When enthusiasm for the chocolate version finally waned I came up with this alternative, and it’s the new family favourite. You won’t believe something so delicious could be so simple and fuss-free!
Photo - Robin Powell
What you need:
1 ¼ cups self-raising flour
¼ cup sugar
rind of an orange
80g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
½ cup of milk
1 egg
Sauce
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
¼ cup of golden syrup
juice of an orange
glug of whisky
What to do:
Heat the oven to 180 C.
Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Mix in the sugar and the orange rind.
Melt the butter and golden syrup, then add the milk and whisk in the egg.
Mix wet and dry ingredients and spoon into an ovenproof pudding bowl.
Mix the cornflour and brown sugar together. Add the golden syrup and the glug of whisky to the orange juice, then add water to make 1 ¼ cups of liquid.
Mix the orange juice with the cornflour/sugar mix and pour over the top of the pudding batter.
Bake for 40- 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.
3 more ways with oranges
1. Orange and goats cheese salad
Slice the ends from three blood and three navel oranges, then slice off the peel. Slice into rounds, and arrange on a plate. Top with chopped green or
black olives, crumbled feta or goats cheese, fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and a grind of black pepper.
Photo - Gettyimages.com
2. Jaffa cake
Add orange zest to your favourite chocolate cake recipe, and replace some of the liquid with the juice of half an orange. Serve with whipped cream mixed
with a splash of Grand Marnier and topped with grated chocolate, or chocolate-dipped orange skins.
3. Sicilian orange salad
This salad can be endlessly varied and served by itself, with roast pork or with simple fish dishes. The non-negotiable feature is orange slices or segments,
blood or navel. It’s best made early in the season when the oranges still have a mouth-watering tartness. Add slices of red onion, chopped olives or
sliced fennel, and herbs such as parsley, rosemary or oregano. Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Text:Robin Powell