Cardamom and almond steamed pudding

cardamom and almond steamed pudding

 

A steamed pudding rounds off a sunday roast better than most puddings I find. My girls both love a syrup sponge. Yesterday I thought I would fancy it up a bit. The addition of freshly ground cardamom adds a delicious scent and the crunch of lightly toasted almonds adds bite to the squidgy, teeth-achingly sweet syrupy sponge. I did make a mistake though. I didn’t make custard to go with it. Last time I made custard after sunday lunch I curdled the eggs trying to cook it too quickly. It’s easier to get a pot of cream out of the fridge. But this pudding deserves custard and I shouldn’t have shied away from it. I won’t next time.

This recipe is inspired by one in Hilaire Walden’s Glorious Puddings, and the title of this book says it all. I have made a few changes to make it my own.

50g flaked almonds
2 tbsp golden syrup
175g softened butter
175g caster sugar
4 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and bashed to a powder
3 eggs
100g self-raising flour
100g ground almonds

Method
Place the flaked almonds in a dry pan and place over a medium heat until they are lightly toasted. Pour onto a plate and set aside until you are ready to serve the pudding.

Grease a 1½ pint capacity heatproof bowl with a little butter. Take a teaspoon of ground almonds and tip into the bowl and swirl around until it gives a light coating all over. Tip out any excess. Spoon the golden syrup into the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

Fill a large saucepan half-full with water and place a small plate or trivet at the bottom. Bring to the boil.

Beat the butter, sugar and ground cardamom together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs  one at a time and beat well between additions. Fold in the flour and the ground almonds until well combined. Spoon carefully into the bowl over the syrup. Level the top carefully. Cover with a pleated piece of greaseproof paper and tie with string. Place carefully into the pan of boiling water and cover with a tight-fitting lid. This needs to steam for 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. I place the pan into the simmering oven of my Aga once it is boiling. I tend to leave it longer than 45 minutes. Yesterday it sat in the pan in the simmering oven for about two hours while I made and ate dinner with no harm coming to it.

Carefully remove the paper, remembering that steam will rush out, place a deep serving dish on top of the bowl and carefully turn it over. The pudding should just slip out, sometimes making a satisfying sucking noise as it does so.  Sprinkle the almonds over the top and serve with custard.

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12 thoughts on “Cardamom and almond steamed pudding”

  1. Oh Kath you are so right, this pud with custard is just what these chilly – er days and darker evenings require, will get my pudding bowl out of the back of the cupboard, thanks for the inspiration, thanks also for your yummy crab apple jelly recipe, have just made a second batch adding Rowen berries the colour and taste is very special, it was looking through your blog that spurred me on.
    Keep on cooking,
    (any more sewing projects on the go?)

    1. Ah, brilliant, I have been meaning to pick the crab apples and rowan berries for the past week. I hope to make the jelly this week before I am too late. As for sewing projects I cut out the pattern for my next dress in March… no free days since then. I must make time, but it won’t be soon unfortunately.

  2. Mmm. I love cardamom so this is definitely worth a try. Now, Agas. 15 years on, I still miss mine dreadfully – we just couldn’t put it in the new house. But some friends who have one and have decided they are finding it too expensive to run (it’s gas-fired) have discovered that not only does it have no resale value (it’s not that old) but they will have to PAY to have it taken out. Nobody wants them, apparently……

    1. I love my Aga, but then I use it a lot so it earns its place in this kitchen. Although, I appreciate that they are expensive to buy and to run in comparison to other ovens. When we first had ours the fuel was a LOT cheaper to buy and we shudder each time the tank needs refilling. Once you have had an Aga though you realise that they are a lot more than an oven and ours heats our house, is a clothes airer and a lot more besides. I hate to think how cold our kitchen would be without it. Perhaps now the new Agas have more control and can be programmed to come on ready for you to come home then an old Aga seems a less attractive buy. It is a real shame about your friends having to pay for someone to take it away. Would you get another one if you could put it in the house or not?

      1. I loved my Aga so much: it was the soul of the house, and made a chilly house cosy… and made wonderful Christmas cakes. But it WAS expensive, very. I’d have to see, if the situation arose. I saw a TV programme about Aga owners some years ago. None of them used it for cooking. Couldn’t understand that!

  3. Oh yes please, with custard, with custard, with custard. I’d like an AGA too, a red one, but I think it might fall through the frankly dodgy floor here.

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