I'm going to make syrup sponge pudding

the-evaluator, good to know I can't overcook it. I did put an upturned saucer at the bottom of the pan but the saucepan lid wouldn't go on properly so I ended up turning the saucer the other way to let the basin sit a bit lower.

jpaul, lol, nope, didn't have the rest for breakfast. :p Yeah, I'd put a cutout of baking paper at the sharp end where the main syrup was sitting. Clear pyrex basin and skewers are a good idea.

Glaucus, yep, I made a centre pleat.
 
Looks good.

Made one last night as well because of this thread. I'm not sure about the Vanilla though, with the vanilla in custard it becomes a little overpowering.

I hope that was proper custard as well, not tinned stuff. :p
 
I'm glad I inspired you to make one! :) And yep, only proper custard for me. Well, I didn't make it from scratch with a vanilla pod, cream and egg yolks, if that's what you meant? But I made it with Birds powdered custard and Canderel. 1 tablespoon of each plus half a pint of milk.

When I make it again I'm going to make a few adjustments.

I'm not sure if I would have missed the vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, I can't say I noticed them. Might leave them out next time.

I'll try light brown sugar instead of muscovado, just for a lighter colour really, and I'll make it a bit more than 175g. I feel the sponge could have been a tad sweeter.

I'll add an extra tablespoon or two of the golden syrup. I felt that the syrup didn't soak sufficiently into the bottom part of the pudding, but that might have had something to do with the small circle of baking paper at the base of the bowl, perhaps it restricted the syrup soaking further through. So I'll leave that baking paper out.

I'll also cook it by microwave.
 
I just do the standard 2/2/2/4 cake mix for mine - probably not the gormet version but works fine (same weight of flour, sugar, marge/butter and twice as many eggs). I always find the more syrup the better as well, it soaks through nicer.

And yes proper custard as in egg yolks and corn flour. :p

TBH the only reason I made it was because I don't have any powdered stuff in the house and I had some spare egg yolks from a few days ago. Needs must! :D
 
Well since I've now got a bottle of vanilla extract, I'll buy some single cream and cornflour and make proper custard next time. Never made custard from scratch before :)
 
Merlin5 said:
Well since I've now got a bottle of vanilla extract, I'll buy some single cream and cornflour and make proper custard next time. Never made custard from scratch before :)
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Here's a proper custard recipe for you:

250 mL Double Cream
250 mL Whole Milk
7 tbsp Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
5 Egg Yolks

Cream, Milk, Vanilla, and half the sugar in a pan on a medium heat. Yolks and half the sugar and the yolks in a bowl, on a folded damp towel on the counter. Whisk yolks until thick and creamy (usually about as long as it takes to heat the cream up. Cream is ready when little bubbles start appearing at the edge of the pan.

Slowly pour half the cream into the eggs while stirring vigorously. Pour eggs into the pan and return to stove. Stir constantly with a spatula, always scraping the bottom. The hotter you get it, the thicker it will be. If you get it too hot, you'll end up with sweet vanilla scrambled eggs!

As soon as it's done pour it into a cold bowl.
 
Ilgresi, thanks.

Why the damp towel?
I thought cornflour is needed to thicken custard?
Will my vanilla extract replace the vanilla bean paste?
What's the best way to separate egg yolks?
 
cornflour is what is in Birds; even when cooked out it has a distinctive chalky-texture + flavour; the more decadant version is pure egg yolk for thickening and double cream.

Often go for just beaten double cream dollop on these kind of puddings myself (also xmas pudding) and find it compliments the pudding better .... less is more
 
I used to love the syrup sponge they made at school, with the thick layer of syrup at the bottom of the sponge :cool:.
 
jpaul said:
cornflour is what is in Birds; even when cooked out it has a distinctive chalky-texture + flavour; the more decadant version is pure egg yolk for thickening and double cream.

Often go for just beaten double cream dollop on these kind of puddings myself (also xmas pudding) and find it compliments the pudding better .... less is more
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Not to want to labour the point about flour, but every custard recipe I found uses either corn or plain flour. One woman who uses plain flour says this:

Is it really proper custard if you use flour

"There are some cooking purists that say that to make proper custard you shouldn’t need any flour or cornflour to aid thickening, you should let the egg yolks do all the work.

Maybe they’re right. However in this case I don’t use the flour simply for thickening, I use it to make the custard taste right.

I’ve made custard both ways, using numerous different recipes. If you simply use egg yolks you get quite a light tasting custard, perfect for tarts and patisserie but, in my opinion, not heavy enough to match a warming apple crumble (or apple crumble flapjack). The addition of flour somehow makes it taste more appropriate.

Essentially, I think that custard with flour is autumn/winter custard and without is spring/summer custard."
 
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Merlin5:

As mentioned, proper custard (Créme Anglaise) is made just with eggs to thicken. It requires more skill, thus purists see adding cornflour as somewhat of a cheat. Essentially, the cornflour thickens the mixture at a lower temperature. As I said above, the closer to 82 °C you get, the thicker it gets but the more danger there is of scrambling the eggs. Cornflour does change the flavour also however.

The damp towel is to provide stability so you can hold the pot in one hand and a whisk in the other! If you have something heavy enough that it wont move as you whisk, go ahead and disregard that part.
 
I made this again tonight but microwaved it instead. So much quicker but I made a mess of it this time. I put it in the microwave with a plate to cover it and set the timer to just under 10 minutes. Clearly too long! After about 5 minutes I heard a clunk. The plate had been pushed aside and the mixture had started to flow over the sides. Once out of the microwave, I turned it over and tipped it out and, well you can see the pictures, lol. Looks like a soggy mess. But just about got away with it, luckily it still tastes good. I don't think I'll enter for Masterchef. :D

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School dinner sponge puddings were awesome, just what a growing lad needed, with lashings of creamy custard.

Agree the Heinz tinned ones were not particularly appetising though their Spotted Richard ones we quite enjoyed.

Sadly these days rarely on the menu due to eternal battle with middle age spread and both me and SWMBO trying to stay on the right side of the cholesterol curve...
 
Looks good, Suprising it did not overcook, just need to ask Father Xmas for a bigger bowl. (thinking of Alan Partridges plate ?)

Mr Lyle should have an award for contribution to English cultural heritage. (Mr Blyton apparently never said it)

What is the alternative in schools these days ?, now that children are so sedentary, is it strictly five a day, and the fast food shop metres from the school gates,
down South I would have said Chocolate sponge pudding&sauce, jam topped sponge, and a variant of jam roly poly were most common
- Not sure if they genuinely used suet, for the latter, which is the most heart warming.
 
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