Michael and Pippa say: “A heart-warming winter pudding, this was on the menu at The Commoner in Fitzroy. There, Jo Corrigan and Matthew Donnelly produced beautifully sourced food, thoughtfully cooked and served with love, before embarking on a tree change. This pudding was always reason enough for a visit. Thankfully, Jo and Matt have kindly shared their recipe so we can continue to enjoy it – and now you can too.

“This is a Very British Pudding, all grown up with the deep flavours of a dark ale and salted caramel sauce. This dessert transcends the ordinary with its deep, malty notes and the comforting embrace of a steaming pudding.

“Use other brews such as stout or porter for a nice variation. We’ve used a 240ml (8 fl oz) pudding mould here. Don’t rush out to buy new equipment especially – you can also use a muffin tray for perfectly good puddings.”

Serves 6

Ingredients

115g (4oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
50g (1¾oz) Dutch cocoa powder
115g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
150g (5½oz) raw (demerara) sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
200g (7oz) dark ale
cream, to serve

Salted caramel sauce:

200g raw (demerara) sugar
120g double (heavy) cream
60g unsalted butter
5g fine sea salt

Method

To make the salted caramel sauce, melt the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Stir frequently as the sugar melts, and cook it out until you have a deep amber caramel. This can take 10–12 minutes. If the sugar starts to burn before it’s caramelised, reduce the heat slightly.

Add the cream to the caramel. Be careful – the caramel may bubble and spit as it meets the cool cream, so pour gently to prevent injury. Stir until the cream is fully incorporated, and then add the butter and sea salt. Continue to stir until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the level of salt to your liking. Set aside to cool and thicken.

Once the sauce has reached your desired consistency, transfer it to a glass jar or airtight container. You can use it immediately or refrigerate for future use.

To make the pudding, preheat the oven to 180°C (360 ̊F). Grease 6 × 240 ml (8 fl oz) pudding moulds or a 6-hole muffin tray. Cut a disc of baking paper to fit the base of each mould and place it in the bottom – this will make it much easier to extract the puddings from the moulds once cooked.

Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder, sifting to mix well.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium–high speed for about 10 minutes, until pale and smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl as required to ensure an even mix.

Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl. With the mixer still running, add the egg in two or three stages, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the side of the bowl as required.

Turn off the machine and then gradually incorporate the dry mixture, folding it in with a spatula. Mix gently until fully incorporated, then add the dark ale and mix well. It can be useful to use a whisk at this stage to help mix everything together well.

Divide the mixture between your pudding moulds, filling each to just over halfway. Place them in a roasting tray and pour hot water into the bottom of the tray, to reach three-quarters of the way up your moulds. Cover the tray with foil and bake for 1 hour. If you’re using a different size mould you may need to adjust the baking time. They’re done when they’ve risen to the height of the moulds and a knife inserted into the centre of one tests clean. Carefully remove your puddings from the bain marie and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before demoulding. Slide a small palette knife or thin-tipped knife around the edge of each pudding and gently tip it out.

To serve, place each pudding on a plate and pour caramel sauce over the top, and a dollop of cream.

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