Liam’s delicious take on the classic British Bakewell flavours is enhanced by the deep, toasted-almond flavour of the custard. The light sponge is topped off with perfectly poached cherries, and the cherry-theme is completed with a coloured picture of the fruit drawn into the pudding itself.
Makes:
1 x large pudding
Difficulty:
Needs skill
Hands-On Time:
30 mins
Baking Time:
6 mins
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- Ingredients
- Method
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Method
Step 1
For the sponge, in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand whisk, beat together all the ingredients, except the food colouring, until smooth.
Step 2
Remove ½ tsp of the plain coloured mixture to a small bowl and colour it green. Remove 1 tsp of the plain coloured mixture to a small bowl and colour it red.
Step 3
Transfer the plain, green and red coloured mixtures to 3 separate piping bags.
Step 4
In the base of the pudding basin, pipe cherries with stalks using the red and green colours.
Step 5
Pipe the plain coloured mixture around and on top of the cherry design, being careful not to dislodge the design below, then continue to pipe the remainder of the plain coloured mixture into the basin.
Step 6
Microwave the sponge at 800w for 6 minutes.
Step 7
Carefully remove the pudding basin from the microwave, then turn out onto a serving plate and set aside to cool.
Step 8
Once cool, use the green and red edible pens to touch up the cherries and stalks, adding any details which have been lost.
Step 9
For the poached cherries, place all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Continue to boil until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency, around 4 – 5 minutes, then leave to cool.
Step 10
For the custard, toast the flaked almonds in a pan until golden brown. Pour the milk over the almonds and heat until just below boiling to infuse the milk with the almond flavour.
Step 11
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and custard powder together. Through a sieve, slowly pour ½ the milk over the egg yolk mixture, whisking the egg yolks all the time.
Step 12
Through the sieve, pour the remaining ½ and whisk to combine. Discard the almonds.
Step 13
Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently, stirring continuously until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 14
Pour the custard around the base of the sponge, then carefully arrange the poached cherries around the pudding and drizzle over the syrup.
