Vegan Steamed Syrup Sponge Pudding
Also known as treacle sponge pudding, this easy vegan steamed syrup sponge pudding is a British classic and is a perfect comforting, stick-to-your-ribs recipe for the colder months.
Servings 6 people
Equipment
- 1 - 1.2 litre pudding basin
- baking parchment, tin foil and kitchen string (only if pudding basin does not have a lid)
Ingredients
For Pudding Basin:
- 100 g (4 Tablespoons) golden syrup plus extra for serving
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Batter:
- 75 g (⅓ cup) vegan butter melted
- 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 160 g (1 + ⅓ cups) self-raising flour
Instructions
- Cut a large square of baking parchment and another of tin foil. Make a pleat in the centre of each square. The pleat gives the pudding room to rise. (If you have a pudding basin with a lid you can skip this step.)
- Place an upturned saucer in the bottom of a large saucepan with a lid and put the kettle on.
- Grease a 1 to 1.2 litre pudding basin well. Pour the golden syrup into the base, add the lemon juice and stir to combine.100 g (4 Tablespoons) golden syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- In a separate bowl, use a balloon whisk to whisk together the melted butter, sugar, milk, lemon juice and zest and vanilla extract.75 g (⅓ cup) vegan butter, 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), finely grated zest of 1 large lemon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in the baking powder followed by the flour. Mix until no dry lumps remain but be careful not to over-beat the batter.¼ teaspoon baking powder, 160 g (1 + ⅓ cups) self-raising flour
- Pour the batter into the pudding basin on top of the golden syrup.
- Place the baking parchment on top of the pudding basin with the pleat in the middle, followed by the tin foil. Press the foil over the edge of the pudding basin.
- Tie a length of string very tightly several times around the foil – there should be a lip on the pudding basin; tie the string just under that.
- Tie a length of string across the top of the basin to make a handle. Trim off the excess foil and parchment, leaving at least a centimetre below the string. If your pudding basin has it’s own lid, skip the above and simply put the lid on, making sure it is tight.
- Place the pudding basin on top of the saucer in the pan. Pour boiling water into the pan so that it comes about halfway up the pudding basin. Do not let the water touch the foil/baking parchment otherwise you may end up with a soggy pudding.
- Put the lid on the pan and place over a low heat. Cook at a gentle simmer for 2 hours, it will do the pudding no harm to let it cook for a while longer however. Check halfway through to see if the water needs topping up but resist the urge to take the lid off the pan too often.
- When it is cooked, the pudding should be springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
- Remove the tin foil and parchment. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding to loosen it then place a serving platter on top and flip it over. The pudding should drop out of the basin (you might need to give it a bit of a shake).
- Drizzle over some more golden syrup and serve straight away with custard or ice cream.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!