After a satisfying Sunday lunch, there’s nothing quite like a delightful dessert to round off the meal. While classic favorites like sticky toffee pudding and treacle sponge hold their own, Rick Stein’s steamed sponge pudding with honey butterscotch sauce offers a refreshing summery alternative. This recipe, serving eight, features a light, fluffy sponge and a luscious buttery sauce, making it a perfect choice for any occasion.
Rick himself describes it as “irresistibly light and buttery,” and it’s truly a simple yet impressive creation. While the recipe recommends serving it with Cornish ice cream, you can personalize it with custard, clotted cream, or even single cream, depending on your preference.
Here’s how to bring Rick Stein’s steamed sponge pudding with honey butterscotch sauce to life:
Ingredients:
*
For the Sponge Pudding:
* 175g/6oz softened butter, plus extra for greasing
* 175g/6oz light muscovado sugar
* 1 tbsp honey
* 3 large free-range eggs
* 175g/6oz self-raising flour
* Cornish ice cream (or your preferred accompaniment)
*
For the Butterscotch Sauce:
* 50g/13⁄4oz butter
* 100g/31⁄2oz light muscovado sugar
* 150g/51⁄2oz honey (plus extra for drizzling)
* 150ml/1⁄4 pint double cream
Method:
1.
Prepare the Pudding Basin:
Grease a one-litre pudding basin with butter. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the honey and beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating a spoonful of flour with the last egg. Gently fold in the remaining flour.2.
Steaming the Pudding:
Cover the basin with a piece of greased foil, pleated in the center, and secure with string. Place the basin in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water, cover with a lid, and steam for two hours. Remember to top up the pan with boiling water if needed.3.
Making the Butterscotch Sauce:
While the pudding steams, prepare the sauce. Combine the butter, sugar, and honey in a pan over low heat. Stir continuously until melted and the sugar dissolves. Stir in the cream and keep the sauce warm.4.
Serving the Pudding:
Remove the foil from the pudding basin and carefully run a knife around the edge to loosen the pudding. Invert the basin onto a plate to turn out the pudding. Cut it into wedges and serve alongside the warm butterscotch sauce and your chosen accompaniment.Enjoy this delightful and easy-to-make steamed sponge pudding, a delicious and light way to end a satisfying meal.
