Dessert – Steamed Apple Pudding with Cinnamon Butter Sauce

I love a good steamed pudding but it’s a fine art to navigate the way between lumpen coma-inducing stodge and airy, light and fluffy cake. In addition, the inclusion of apples, and in this case, some rather delicious syrup, makes it especially important that there be a lightness of touch. A steamed pudding-lite, if you will.

So, to apples. There are a number of ways to go when pairing apples. With blackberries. With a rich, almost burnt, toffee syrup. Or with cinnamon.

In the end I included a cinnamon butter sauce in this mixture because as much as we all love toffee, making a sugar syrup tends to terrify most home cooks. Also, blackberries are out of season for now.

I made this, put it in the steamer, then walked away from the kitchen for almost two hours. It’s the perfect dessert for slow cooking or lazy weekend foods and it can then be sliced and re-heated in the microwave later in the week when you need speed on your side. Too easy.

Makes a 1L pudding, or enough for 6 generous serves

INGREDIENTS

100g butter, softened; 1 tbsp plain flour; ½ cup (125 ml) golden syrup; 4 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes; 75g  caster sugar; 25g soft brown sugar; zest of 1 lemon; 2 eggs; 125g self-raising flour; ¼ cup (60ml) milk

Cinnamon Butter Sauce: 1 cup caster sugar; 125g butter; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 cup hot water; 1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

Use a teaspoon of the butter to grease a 1.2 L pudding basin and dust with the plain flour. Set aside.

Place 60ml (¼ cup) of golden syrup in a small saucepan with a knob of the remaining butter and melt it over medium heat. Simmer for two minutes, then add the apple and cook, uncovered, for five minutes. From time to time, stir the apple to stop it sticking. Remove from heat and allow it to cool while you make the cake batter.

Using electric beaters, cream the remaining butter, caster sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well between each addition, then add the flour a spoonful at a time. Finally, add the remaining golden syrup and stir well to combine.

Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom of the pudding basin. Top with the cake batter and make a small indent in the top with the back of a spoon.

Place a square of foil over a square of baking paper. Pleat the papers together down the centre. Place the pleated paper over the pudding basin and tie securely with kitchen string.

Fill a large stock pot or saucepan with enough water to come half way up the sides of the pudding basin and place a small cake rack, an upturned plate or a folded up tea towel in the bottom of the pot. Gently place the pudding basin on top of this shelf, bring the water to the boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to a very low simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and steam for 1 ½ hours. Top up the water from the kettle if you need to.

To check if it’s cooked, pierce a skewer through the foil and paper right into the centre of the pudding. It’s cooked if the skewer comes out clean. It may need up to another 30 minutes depending on how gently the simmer is.

To serve, turn out onto a plate and serve with a jug of cinnamon butter on the side

Cinnamon Butter Sauce: Place the sugar, butter and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, stirring well, then, using a whisk, combine the flour and continue to stir well until the sauce comes to a simmer.

Cook, stirring well for five minutes until the flour cooks out. Add the cinnamon and remove from the heat. Pour into a jug and set aside.

COST

$5.75 for a 1L pudding