Steamed Syrup Sponge with Lemon

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An incredibly quick to make, steamed, light and fluffy lemon sponge soaked in lemony golden syrup; delicious served with cream, (my husband’s favourite) ice cream, (Emma’s favourite) or custard (Charlotte’s and my favourite)! Although very sweet, the lemon cuts through and you are left with an incredibly moreish and comforting bowl of nostalgic heaven still relevant and holding its own after decades on the menu!

This dessert goes way back. I remember my grandmothers and mother making it and Andrew reminded me that you used to be able to buy a tinned version of it! Why anyone would buy it is beyond me though. You can literally whip this up in 5 minutes but steaming is a long cooking process, so you need to be organised and make it in advance.

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Unless you have a steam oven, steaming can put people off – you have to keep an eye on the pan to make sure it has not run out of water and it can create a lot of condensation in the kitchen. I have a solution to that! I steam puddings in a Slow Cooker. You can buy simple Slow Cookers from around £25 and they are worth every penny. I bought mine years ago, it cost £20 and it is still going strong.

Coming up to the holiday season, it is fabulous for heating up your Christmas pudding – saving you space on the hob! Although you still need to ensure the slow cooker doesn’t run dry, I’ve steamed Christmas puddings in it for 3½ hours and I have not needed to top up the water. Also, you do not get the condensation in the kitchen. It really is a fabulous way to steam puddings and makes this dessert very fuss free.

The light and fluffy sponge is yet another dessert based on my Sponge Cake – Core Recipe. In fact, it is the exact same with the addition of lemon rind and juice and then steamed with the golden syrup rather than baked in the oven.

How to make Steamed Syrup Sponge with Lemon

Collect all your ingredients together:

• unsalted butter
• caster sugar
• eggs
• plain flour
• baking powder
• salt
• milk
• lemon juice and zest
• golden syrup

How to make the pudding:

1. It is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the other ingredients. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything directly into the bowl. Ideally, you should sieve the flour, although I confess I don’t always do this! The best way to do it though is to place the sieve on top of the bowl, zero the scales, weigh in the flour and then shake the sieve.
2. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined.
3. Add the lemon zest and juice and fold until completely mixed in.
4. Mix the syrup with the lemon juice.
5. Grease a 2 pint/1.2 litre pudding basin and the lid thoroughly with butter.
6. Tip in the golden syrup and lemon juice mix.
7. Carefully top with the sponge mix and level the surface of the sponge.
8. Seal with a lid and steam cook for 2½ hours.

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Different ways to steam:

• in a slow cooker – before you start making the dessert, fill a slow cooker ⅓ full with boiling water and set on high to heat up. When you add the pudding bowl make sure the water is nowhere near the lid. Steam on high with the lid on.
• in a saucepan – sit the pudding bowl in a saucepan and add boiling water to come half way up to the sides of the bowl. Bring to a simmer, put the lid on and regularly check that the water does not run dry. When it is low, top up with more boiling water. Typically the bowl is sat on an inverted saucer in the base of the saucepan. However it can rattle a lot and be noisy. As long as there is sufficient water, I find you do not need this.
• in a steam oven – cook according to oven instructions.

Once cooked invert the pudding:

1. This is the top of pudding before you invert it. The edges will be darker because the syrup will have run down and been absorbed into the cake.
2. Loosen the edges with a knife. When the pudding is turned out, these edges will look a bit rough and ready. The syrup which has been absorbed will make the edges fragile but they will taste amazing!
3. Place a warmed plate (with a lip to catch the extra syrup) over top of the pudding and turn both over together at the same time to invert the pudding. Use oven gloves as the bowl will be very hot.
4. Serve on the warmed plate with a lip to catch the syrup.

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Made this recipe?

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