When I was in London last fall, I had dinner at Rules Restaurant, in Covent Garden. Rules claims to the be the “Oldest Restaurant in London” (established in 1798) and that might be true, depending on how you’re defining terms like “oldest” and “restaurant” and probably “London.” The decor is very Edwardian, and several scenes from the later seasons of Downton Abbey were shot there. The food is focused on “classic game cookery.” I had pheasant, which was delicious.
(Hilariously, after I ate the pheasant breasts with my knife and fork like a goddamn lady, I poked the legs with my knife, and then shrugged, picked up the leg to delicately nibble it from the bone, and then the waiter swooped in immediately with a finger bowl of water with lemons in it to rinse my hands when I was done. Like, he was WAITING for me to use my hands. Either I did the right thing, or he pegged me as an American barbarian. I’m good with either interpretation.)
Anyway, for dessert I had a golden syrup steamed sponge, which was AMAZING and I immediately wanted five more. I’ve thought about that sponge at least once a week since October.
I also brought home some Golden Syrup (yeah, I know you can get it in the U.S., but THAT WAS NOT THE POINT).
And I have a pudding basin!
I could stop just wistfully thinking about the sponge and MAKE THE SPONGE and then HAVE THE SPONGE and ultimately EAT THE SPONGE.
Reader, I ate the sponge. (Sponge no longer looks like a word.)
I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup Steamed Sponge recipe. My circa 1920 Mrs. Beeton has a recipe for Sponge Pudding that is quite similar, but uses suet instead of water and calls for baking soda instead of relying on the self-rising flour.
The first thing I had to do was make my all-purpose flour into self-rising. The way to do that is add some baking powder and salt.
Golden Syrup is a product of the sugar refining process. It’s kiiiiiiiiiinda like corn syrup in the US, only it’s made from actual sugar and not government subsidies. It’s very thick, and has a slightly caramel-y, nutty flavor.
The first thing you do is butter your pudding basin, then put two ounces of the syrup in the bottom.
Then you cream two more ounces of syrup, the butter, and the brown sugar until it is light and fluffy, and add the eggs and flour and milk until it’s cake-batter like.
It’s delicious and I almost just ate that for dinner. Almost.
Anyway, the difficult (it’s not that difficult, it’s just fiddly) part is prepping the basin for steaming.
First, the batter goes in:
Then you cover it with parchment paper and foil, but you put a pleat in the parchment and foil to allow for expansion of the sponge. Then you tie down the covering, and make a little handle so you can pull the basin out of the boiling water without scalding your hands off.
Then it goes in a pot of boiling water, with enough water to go halfway up the basin. I used my canning pot, because…well, it’s pretty much made for that purpose.
The recipe said to steam it for an hour and a half. I think I went an hour and forty minutes and that was…about ten minutes too long.
See, the top third or so is just a touch overdone.
Seriously, it’s so good.
It would be better if I made a custard sauce to go with it, but I didn’t have the patience to make it. It also makes for an excellent breakfast.
I CAN MAKE THIS WHENEVER I WANT. LIFE IS SOMETIMES GREAT.
Ever make sponge at home? Or do you have other interesting purposes for golden syrup? Do tell!
I have a microwave mug cake version of a steamed syrup pudding. Obviously, the texture is nothing like the real thing, but it is an acceptable two minute version.
My pudding basin was my grandmother’s. One of the things I like about cooking or baking old family recipes is using the same equipment. A few weeks ago, I made my mother’s lemon bread, using the same loaf pan she always used. As much as I love the convenience of most modern kitchen ware, there is something very satisfying about pouring a batter into the same pan that I helped my mother fill fifty years ago.
I have instructions, via Heston Blumenthal (200+ page book with 8 recipes),on how to age golden syrup to increase the depth of flavour, but I’ve never tried it. I have also, quite successfully, made a steamed pudding by putting it in a slow cooker half-filled with water.
This is making me quite nostalgic. It looks like I’ll be digging out my seventy year-old tart pan and making my mother’s treacle tarts this weekend.
http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/9186/honeycomb-with-golden-syrup.aspx
This is fun to make and delicious.
I have an old Donna Hay recipe for ginger cookies that’s basically sponge toffee (that’s what we call honeycomb here in Canada) plus flour & chopped candied ginger. Mmm,candied ginger… For those allergic to honey like myself, Lyle’s makes an excellent substitute.
Oh I just remembered we called it hokey pokey when I was a kid
My supply of Golden Syrup gets used to make Anzac biscuits (aka cookies).
http://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/Anzac-Biscuits
Nice and crunchy and very yummy.
Seriously, as a Brit, this needs custard for the ultimate experience. You can also make it with jam in the bottom of the pudding basin – blackcurrant especially delish. I’m taking a moment now to remember the Sunday lunches of my childhood….
@MizFletcher: Thank you for the jam suggestion. I’ve been noodling over modifications all morning and was wondering how one would play with the flavor.
Oooh I love this, I make it all the time. It does amuse me that they serve it in a fancy restaurant because it was always classic poor/people school dinners for us! I guess Londoners can fancify anything
Also it’s so unhealthy it should count as poison but I don’t care!!!
I also advice the National Trust’s excellent video series of traditional recipes which has an excellent and similar CHOCOLATE pudding
Another varia. To add sultanas to the batter to make “spotted dick”.
And yes, you really need custard!
I’ve just remembered there’s a ginger variant as well, you use stem ginger and some of the syrup from the jar.
I’ve seen a pecan pie recipe that calls for golden syrup.
I love golden syrup sponge. I often knock it up in a hurry by making it in a pyrex bowl in the microwave. I sometimes put diced apples in it and slightly undercook it, so that it’s a bit gooey on top . Eat with custard or a good quality vanilla ice cream.
My other uses for golden syrup are: drizzled over yogurt, porridge or sliced banana and used as an ingredient in oaty flapjacks.
Dammit. I REALLY want golden syrup sponge now…
Golden syrup was what we used instead of maple syrup on our pancakes (cos maple syrup was foreign and expensive if you could find it). Have also used it on toast, in anzac biscuits, steamed pud, hokey pokey (aka honeycomb toffee), in sauce to go with dumplings – or to replace honey in just about any recipe.
You can make a Canary Sponge pudding with Lemon. Definatly need custard with syrup sponge. I normally cook it in the microwave.
My mum does a variant on golden syrup pudding with a really nice orange juice sauce. Delish.
And golden syrup is great in flapjacks and gingerbread and ginger cake. And on ice cream…
If you’re a World Market/Cost Plus member, you get 30% off coupons periodically, as well as $10 off for your birthday and for spending money with them. I use these credit/discounts all the time to buy up the Golden Syrup (yes, I’m that one). The price of an 11 oz. bottle is around $3, instead of $4.99.
I use it primarily for making outstanding caramels, which I also use on my chocolate-covered shortbread cookies. Any recipe that requires corn syrup is vastly improved with golden syrup.
And, RHG, last fall I brought home 1 kg of Billington’s golden caster sugar because of course I would. I haunt grocery store aisles when I’m there.
looks delicious!
Golden syrup: eat it on a sandwich with peanut butter. That’s what a Southerner would do.
I’m not normally wild about British type desserts, but this looks worth investigating.
I do have a question though, why doesn’t the pudding basin, which is purpose-made for boiled puddings, have its own handle to pull it out of the boiling water? Instead of jerry-rigging it with string? Feel free to take out a patent on this idea.
Just to clarify what Barb in Maryland said, ANZAC biscuits are what Americans call cookies, but they are never ANZAC cookies.
And it’s time for me to make some ANZAC biscuits, ready for ANZAC day.
Fav recipe to make with with golden syrup is Puffed Wheat Squares – they are delicious and easy to make.
As a child in Canada, we would sometimes have Golden Syrup on bread and butter. It was yummy.
Golden syrup is delicious in or on anything! My father makes maple syrup so that is usually my syrup of choice, but when my mason jar is getting on towards empty, golden syrup is the only store-bought syrup I will have : )
One of my favourite cookie recipes uses golden syrup (I normally quarter this recipe, otherwise it makes A LOT!):
http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2008/06/omas-jam-jams.html
Marmalade sponge is another possibility, the sharpness makes a good contrast with the sweet sponge, if you have it ginger marmalade is even better. Blackberry jam with half wholewheat flour is superb, my very favourite, it doesn’t come out heay, but some how tastes slightly spicey even though you don’t use any spice.
Over here you can get all kinds of custard from Bird’s to proper custard in the shops.
Karin, pudding basins with lids exist. I have an aluminium one from my nana.
And yes to never ever calling Anzac biscuits, cookies.
@ Flora,
I believe that it’s actually illegal.
You can make this in a slow cooker (if you have one) rather than a saucepan of boiling water. You half fill the slow cooker with water and use it as a bain marie – it just takes longer to cook, but is fabulous! And, yes, has to be served with custard, or ice cream.
@BellainAus and @Flora Boy howdy, I did word (or punctuate) my suggestion poorly, didn’t I? Of course, they are Anzac biscuits! I ate a lot of them while living in Melbourne and I try to make at least one batch a year at Christmas time. Now that they are on my mind, this coming ANZAC Day would be a good time to make another batch. (adding shredded coconut to shopping list…)
Could steamed sponge be made with the Dark Golden Syrup? I recently acquired a pudding basin. I found it in my Mom’s kitchen stuff and I don’t remember her ever making a dessert this ambitious!
I bought some Lyles’ syrup at Kroger after the holidays. I replaced the molasses with the dark syrup in a batch ginger snap cookies and it changed both the texture and taste. They were a hit with my friends.
Heading to Google to find out what Anzac biscuits are ….
Grew up with butterscotch self saucing pudding which is made using golden syrup. Easy to make and no water bath required https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/butterscotch-self-saucing-pudding/60a084cd-627d-42b8-91af-34b0b84e316c.
And, being an Aussie, Anzac bikkies.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gingerbread_pancakes_89406 these are really yummy and not too difficult. If you go to the BBC.co.uk website and click on the food bar you can put in an ingredient and it’ll give you a load of recepies
My local grocery store just started selling golden syrup in a squeeze bottle as well as the canned variety. I almost got it the other day but it was about $8 vs the much cheaper can.
OMG, I’m having an orgasm just reading the name of this beauty! I think, I’m in love!
I put golden syrup on my porridge. It’s nice with pancakes. And OMG flapjacks!
Syrup sponge needs custard. Look at it on that plate. It’s screaming for a good dollop of custard.
The lion on the tin is surrounded with bees, not flies, as people think. It’s something to do with Samson “Out of strength came sweetness.” And the original painting of a dead lion by Landseer is in Manchester museum (he was a zoo lion who died of natural causes).
You could add spotted dick and jam roly-poly to your list of steamed puddings. Marguerite Patten is the cookery writer to look for for traditional stuff.
Now I want some bread and butter pudding.
Annd this looks amazingly delicious. Must make soon!