A great last-minute alternative to a traditional Christmas pudding – plus it reheats in only five minutes
Prep:20 mins
Serves 8
85g golden syrup175g dark muscovado sugar, plus 1 tsp extra150ml milk100g butter, plus lots extra for greasing175g self-raising flour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda2 tsp ground ginger1 tsp cinnamon6 balls stem ginger from a jar2 ripe pears, peeled1 eggcustard, to serve
STEP 1Put the syrup, sugar and milk into a saucepan, then bring to a simmer to dissolve. Leave to cool almost completely while you get on with everything else. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.STEP 2Put the butter, flour, bicarb, ground ginger and cinnamon into a food processor, then pulse until it forms fine crumbs. Generously butter a 1.4-litre pudding basin and sprinkle 1 tsp sugar into the bottom. Cut 3 of the ginger balls in half and put 5 halves, rounded-side down, into the bottom, like the points of a star. Cut one cheek from a pear, then slice through about 10 times, without cutting through the stalk end. Put this into the bottom of the bowl amongst the ginger, then press gently so that the pear fans out. Core, then thinly slice the remaining pear. Finely chop the rest of the ginger.STEP 3Tip the cooled syrup mix and egg into a food processor, then quickly whizz with the dry ingredients to a batter. Take out the blade, then stir in the chopped ginger and sliced pear. Scrape the mix into the basin, then bake for 1 hr 20 mins until risen and dark golden, and a skewer comes out clean. Whatever you do, don’t open the oven before 45 mins is up.STEP 4To finish, gently melt the syrup ingredients in a pan together until the sugar dissolves, then boil briefly. Turn the pudding out of its basin just before serving, spoon over the syrup and serve with custard.