Best The Ultimate Makeover Sponge Pudding Custard Recipes

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: SPONGE PUDDING & CUSTARD

Steps:

• Very lightly butter a 1-litre pudding basin. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Coarsely grate one of the apple quarters and thinly slice the rest. Combine the sliced apple and blackberries, toss with the 2 tbsp caster sugar and spoon half into the bottom of the basin.
• Mix together the flour and baking powder. Beat both the sugars and butter together in a large bowl with an electric hand beater until light and creamy. Break in 1 egg and beat well, then beat in the second egg (the mix will look curdled). Sift half the flour mixture over the sponge mixture and fold in gently. Carefully stir in half the milk, then repeat with the rest of the flour and milk, followed by the orange zest and reserved grated apple.
• Spoon two-thirds of the sponge mixture over the fruit mix in the basin and level off. Spread the rest of the fruit on top, followed by the remaining sponge mix. Place the basin in a small roasting tin half filled with hot water. Bake for 1¼ hrs (lay foil over the top for the last 15 mins if it is browning too quickly) until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• While the pudding is baking, make the custard. Mix the sugar, custard powder and cornflour with 1 tbsp of the milk to make a paste. Beat in the egg yolk. Pour the remaining milk into a pan, slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Add the pod to the milk and bring just to the boil. Pour this over the cornflour mix, stir, then pour into a clean pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche.
• Loosen pudding from the sides of the basin with a round-bladed knife and carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Serve with the custard.

LEMON OR ORANGE SPONGE CUSTARD (PUDDING)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter a loaf pan (not PAM, use butter) or ramekins.
• Cream butter, sugar, fruit rind.
• Add egg yolks and beat well.
• Stir in flour.
• Add fruit juice and milk alternately (add a little juice and mix; then add a little milk and mix, and repeat until liquid all gone).
• Fold in beaten egg whites.
• Pour into baking dish.
• Place baking dish in larger pan with about 1" water.
• Carefully place in oven; water will slosh about, so move slowly.
• Bake about 45 minutes for ramekins (I have not used ramekins, so check often) or 1 hour for loaf pan. Adjust oven temperature if top is browning too fast. REMOVE FROM OVEN VERY CAREFULLY OR YOU WILL SLOSH BOILING WATER ON YOU.
• Serve warm or cold.
• The recipe says it can be served with a raspberry sauce (I suppose just for the lemon). I have not done this, as it is scrumptious all on its own.
• Serves 4 generous portions; 6 if you just want to tease everyone.

CUSTARD PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, heat milk until bubbles form around sides of pan. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Remove milk from heat; stir a small amount of hot milk into egg mixture. Return all to pan, stirring constantly. Stir in extracts., Transfer to nine 4-oz. ramekins. Place cups in a baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to pan. Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until center is just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove ramekins from water bath; cool 10 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled.