Steamed treacle sponge pudding with custard recipe

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A sticky sweet pudding made from scratch using a handful of store cupboard ingredients including golden syrup...

Steamed treacle sponge pudding with custard
(Image credit: Alamy)
Serves6–8
SkillMedium
Preparation Time30 mins
Cooking Time2 hours 15 mins
Total Time2 hours 45 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories591 Kcal30%
Salt0.66 gRow 1 - Cell 2
Sugars35.9 g40%
Saturated Fat17.9 g90%
Protein8.3 g17%
Fat39.0 g56%
Carbohydrates52.6 g20%
Salt0.66 gRow 7 - Cell 2

Sticky sweet steamed treacle sponge pudding with homemade creamy custard - what more could you want?

If you're looking for a comforting dessert perfect for sharing with family after a full roast dinner, we give you the steamed treacle sponge pudding with homemade custard. This sticky sweet pudding is made with golden syrup, black treacle, and light brown sugar, with a hint of lemon zest and perfectly paired with our homemade vanilla custard made with double cream. 

Ingredients

For the pudding:

  • 175g (6oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 3tbsp golden syrup
  • 1tbsp black treacle
  • 175g (6oz) light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • ½ lemon, zest only
  • 175g (6oz) self-raising flour
  • 1-2tbsp milk

For the custard:

  • 284ml pot double cream
  • 250ml (9fl oz) milk
  • Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 50g (2oz) caster sugar
  • 1tbsp cornflour

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Grease a 1ltr pudding basin and drizzle in the syrup and treacle.
  2. Cream sugar and butter together with a whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs a bit at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the zest and flour, and gently fold to combine. Use the milk to loosen the mixture.
  3. Pour into the prepared pudding basin and level. Cover with pleated greaseproof paper, then cover with foil and tie with string. Put in a pan of boiling water and steam for 2 hrs.
  4. To make the custard, mix the cream and milk in a pan with the vanilla seeds and bring to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Whisk the hot milk into the bowl, then return to the pan. Over a low heat, stir until the custard coats the back of a spoon. If it starts to curdle, remove from heat and whisk until smooth.

Top tips for making treacle sponge pudding

Treacle sponge puddings are best homemade as opposed to shopbought. They may take a tad longer to prepare and cook, but the sponge is much softer, moister and more naturally sweet. Here are some of our top tips for making treacle sponge pudding.

What's the best way to cook treacle sponge pudding?

In this recipe we have opted to cook our treacle sponge pudding using the method of steaming, If you're unsure how to steam a pudding, we have a nifty guide on everything you need to know about the process, including equipment and top tips.

Is sticky toffee pudding the same as treacle pudding?

No, sticky toffee pudding is often an oven-baked pudding made with dates and a toffee sauce, whereas treacle sponge is made with golden syrup and traditionally steamed. 

Mason Cash Innovative Kitchen Pudding Basin with Lid - View at Amazon

Mason Cash Innovative Kitchen Pudding Basin with Lid - View at Amazon

Before you steam your pudding, you'll need to perfect the pudding basin with a lid. This off-white ceramic pudding basin by Mason Cash is a recommended choice as it's perfect for a range of different steamed puddings including treacle sponge, Christmas pudding, chocolate, and more.

Not what you're looking for? Never fear, we have plenty of delicious puddings to choose from including our steamed chocolate pudding, and our popular lemon sponge pudding; which uses six ingredients, and if you're feeling festive, Mary Berry's Christmas pudding is certainly worth rustling up.

Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 12 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies