Individual ginger puddings

Just the sound of the word “pudding” is pleasing. It suggests nice things – dessert, custard, ice cream, sponge etc. These little ginger puddings are very cute – individual puddings are always so much more attractive than one big one cut into slices. I think it’s because my brain tells me that it’s all mine and I won’t have to share!

The chopped ginger goes in the bottom of the basin which of course, on turning out, will become the top:

The puddings can be cooked the day before required. Just keep in the pudding basins and reheat for 10-15 minutes before required at 160°C/fan oven 140°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.

Once the puds are cooked, I levelled the surface off just so they’d sit nicely on the plate when turned out:

I’ve tried to capture the lovely sponge texture. These are not heavy puddings that sit in your stomach like you’ve eaten a house brick!


Spooning over extra ginger syrup when served makes these juicy little delights and I love the contrast of warming ginger with cold ice cream.


Here’s the pudding cut open. The photo was taken hastily as I wanted to eat it!

Yummmmmm – pudding and ice cream!


Ingredients:
185g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 preserved stem gingers in syrup, cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons ginger syrup (i.e. from the jar the stem ginger is in)
185g golden caster sugar
1 tablespoon black treacle
3 eggs
3 teaspoons ground ginger
185g self raising flour

To serve: custard or ice cream. Or both!

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease 6 individual pudding basins with either butter or cake release.
- Place the chopped ginger in the bottom of the basin (which will become the top on serving) and drizzle 1 teaspoon of ginger syrup over the top. Put the rest of the syrup aside until you serve the puddings.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and pale, then beat in the black treacle.
- Gradually beat in the eggs and don’t worry if the mix curdles – it will correct as soon as you add the flour.
- Fold in the flour and ground ginger until well combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the basins, then place all the basins into a larger baking tin (I used a roasting tray).
- Pour boiling water into the tray until the water level comes halfway up the little basins.
- Cover the tray with foil and, while you need to wrap it tightly to keep the steam in, ensure that you’ve allowed space on top for the puddings to rise – tenting the foil is the best idea.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. I took the foil off after 35 minutes and gave them a further 15 minutes uncovered, but still standing in the water.
- Either serve straightaway, or allow to cool and reheat the next day.
- When turning the puddings out remember to spoon over the ginger syrup you set aside.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.