Gingerbread, apple and almond steamed puddings
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 mins Total time: 
Recipe photograph by Tara Fisher
Gingerbread, apple and almond steamed puddings
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 mins Total time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
871Kcal
Fat
56gr
Saturates
27gr
Carbs
66gr
Sugars
54gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
11gr
Salt
0.5gr
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Ingredients
- 100g really soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 50g plain flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- a few generous gratings of nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp crème fraiche
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 75g dark muscovado sugar
- 1 eating apple, such as a Braeburn, weighing about 150g
- 50g toasted blanched almonds, chopped small
For the toffee sauce
- 75g light muscovado sugar
- 50g unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp crème fraiche
To finish
- 1 reddish-skinned apple, such as Braeburn
- 15g butter
- 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
Step by step
Get ahead
The cooked puddings can be frozen in the basins, covered with clingfilm. Remove the clingfilm, cover each one with foil (as below) and re-steam for 20 minutes from frozen. Make the sauce and the apple slices for the topping a few hours before serving; reheat the sauce over a low heat.
- Butter the insides of 4 x 175ml mini nonstick metal pudding basins and line the base of each one with a disc of baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, spices, egg, crème fraiche, treacle and sugar with a pinch of salt until well combined. Pour water into your steamer and put it on the hob to heat, ready to cook the puddings.
- Peel and core the apple and cut it into small dice. Fold the apple and chopped almonds into the batter.
- Divide the mixture between the 4 basins and cover the top of each with foil, pressing it down to make sure the edges are sealed. Steam the puddings for 35-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, put the ingredients into a small pan with a pinch of salt and whisk over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and you have a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Cut 4 slices of apple, about 5mm thick, slicing horizontally through the core. Heat the butter and sugar in a small frying pan for 30 seconds or so, stirring. Add the apple slices and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden; transfer to a plate.
- Remove the foil from the puddings and run a knife around the inside of each one before turning them out onto warm plates. Remove the base papers. Drizzle each pudding with warm sauce, top with a slice of apple and serve with our ultimate vanilla custard!
Chef quote
These irresistible little puddings are just the thing for Sunday lunch on a chilly winter’s day
