Jamaican ginger sponge pudding

• frozen unsalted butter↗150g g

  plus extra at room temperature for the basin

• self‑raising flour↗120g g
• baking powder↗1 tsp tsp
• bicarbonate of soda↗½ tsp tsp
• fresh breadcrumbs↗120g g
• ground ginger↗1½ tsp tsp
• allspice½ tsp ground tsp
• ground cinnamon↗1 tsp tsp
• stem ginger↗150g g

  in syrup, finely chopped, syrup reserved for the sauce

• large eggs↗2

  lightly beaten

• light brown soft sugar↗100g g
• black treacle↗250g g
• milk↗100ml ml
• extra‑thick double cream↗

  or vanilla ice cream, to serve

• syrup from a 350g jar stem ginger120ml ml
• spiced rum↗70ml
• salted butter↗30g
• double cream↗4 tbsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Butter a 1.2‑litre pudding basin, then press a disc of baking parchment into the base. Heat 4 cm of water in a heavy saucepan and add a trivet or an inverted bowl as a base.

2. 2

   Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarb into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and ½ tsp fine salt and stir everything together. Wrap the end of the frozen butter in foil and, holding it by the foil end, coarsely grate the butter into the dry ingredients. Unwrap and discard the foil to grate the last piece. Fold everything together so the butter is evenly distributed. Mix in the stem ginger, eggs, treacle, sugar and milk. Spoon into the pudding basin, leaving a small gap for the sponge to rise, and cover with a disc of parchment. Seal the pudding basin with a tight‑fitting lid or a double layer of foil, sealed tightly around the basin and tied with cook’s string. Set on top of the trivet, cover with a lid and steam for 3 hrs, topping up with water so it doesn’t boil dry.

3. 3

   Pour the syrup into a shallow frying pan, bring to the boil and cook until the syrup is turning a deep golden brown. Quickly whisk in the rum and butter, then whisk in the cream and bubble for 2 mins. Gently tip the sponge pudding out of its basin onto a serving plate. Pour over the rum sauce and serve with thick cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.