Summer Fruit Pudding (English style)

[Tetters]

You'll need a 3pint (1.71litre) pudding basin with a lid, and a microwave oven.**Grease this bowl with butter ** on the inside
330g soft fruit (like strawberries, raspberries or black/red currants etc.) 35g butter and 35g fine caster sugar. (for the topping)
Sponge: 150g butter. 200g caster sugar, 3 eggs, 3tbsp whole milk, 1tsp vanilla extract, and 200g self raising flour - or all purpose flour with baking powder added.

Stick the fruit, butter and 35g caster sugar in the basin and microwave it on full for two minutes to melt the butter, and give it a stir.
Then mix up the sponge - cream the butter and sugar and knock hell out of it with a whisk, then chuck in the eggs - one at a time, and beat it up a bit more. FOLD in the flour - in a sedate and orderly manner please, like proper chefs would. Then scrape the whole lot on top of the fruit, and make it all look tidy Put the lid on the basin, and microwave on full for 12 minutes.
Get a nice big plate (just in case) and hold it tight over the top of the basin - AFTER you've taken the lid off first of course, and holding your breath, say a little prayer and turn it over so that it all pops out onto the plate. It should do, IF you remembered to grease the bowl.

It's supposed to look a bit like this. ....... and you can add some cream or custard if you fancy it.

I haven't tried this one yet, but if you do, could you please report back to tell me if it works or not. cheers!
NB..........
This recipe is timed for a 600watt oven, so the timing may have to be adjusted accordingly!!

 

[Sheal]

I might attempt that Tetters but need to convert to gluten free first.

 

[Mike]

Not related to this particular recipe, but it's always amazed me how y'all (folks from across the pond) use weight for ingredients when baking. This, to me, seems like a much better method. Over here in the US, most of our recipes call for cups and teaspoons, etc. I've always wondered, well what if your flour or sugar, for example, is more packed than what the one in the original recipe was. What if the grains are bigger/smaller. With using weight, none of that matters.

 

[Tetters]

Well young man - we're English - nuff said Related to this particular recipe - you could have a go at an English pudding using your home grown strawberries here couldn't you Mike !?

 

[Sheal]

What wattage is the microwave please Tetters? Assuming it's 800 I'll have to reduce the time for my 900.

 

[Tetters]

What a good point Sheal - I would have messed up on this too because my oven is an 800w - I have now checked, and the recipe is for a 600w . I have been able to amend the original text and have added that bit to the recipe! Thanks for the nudge.... what am I like
I would have tested it with a skewer to see if it was done, but you can't put it right if it's over done already can you !

 

[Sheal]

Thanks Tetters. 600w means further reduction. I never trust the timing on microwave recipes so it would have been automatic for me to lower the time and add further cooking time if necessary. I might try the recipe with blueberries.

 

[Sheal]

I've always wondered, well what if your flour or sugar, for example, is more packed than what the one in the original recipe was. What if the grains are bigger/smaller. With using weight, none of that matters.

I'm on a gluten free diet Mike so field grown grain is taboo. That's wheat, barley, oats and rye. I use flour made from rice that has a gluten substitute and this also weighs differently to the usual flour. I'd be lost if I had to use American cup measurements as gluten free recipes can be a bit hit and miss if weights aren't right.

 

[Sheal]

@Tetters are you ready for the disaster that imitates a Summer pudding?

The story...

I haven't got a 3 pint basin so used a 2 pint one which meant cutting down each ingredient by a third. As it turned out that was plenty big enough for the two of us. I took the chance and used gluten free rice flour without the usual additives. Again not a problem. The strawberries created a lot of juice when heated and I should have drained some off. When I added the sponge mix it disappeared into the liquid, oops!

Oh well, in for a penny....and into the microwave. Hmm, 900 watt and a smaller pudding than the recipe - the guessing starts here regarding time. I opted for little and often. 3 minutes + 2 minutes + another 1, that should do it!

It left the bowl whole but with a pond of liquid in a dip in the top and the sponge mix had cooked through it....



Well, I had to try my own poison didn't I? Despite the way it looks it actually tasted quite good....with some custard. I think I'll stick to pineapple upside down cake in future.

 

[Tetters]

ooh dear me. Thanks for giving it a try Sheal, I might have to have a go too now..... - at least yours tasted ok (custard is a wonderful substance ennit. Let's see now hmmm, yeah, reduce the juice ...good title for a song don't you think.
Mind you, pineapple upside down cake sounds good.

 

[Logan]

Tetters, sounds like a good recipe I still do lbs and ounces much to hubbies despair but my scales can weigh both. I'll have a go on Sunday that's when we have a pudding.

 

[Sheal]

Mind you, pineapple upside down cake sounds good.

It's quick and easy if you'd like the recipe.

 

[Tetters]

I made one today ......

It's quick and easy if you'd like the recipe.

Thanks Sheal, I already have a recipe for that..... but today I attempted this ! Zigs will post my photos for me in a minute - then I will have another lie down!
I dug out some redcurrants from last summer's pickings - not quite as many as should have been in the recipe, but definitely enough. I had the right size bowl, so that was good - and greased it on the inside
My microwave oven is 800w so I decided I would do it for 10 minutes - and take pot luck. Following the recipe (almost to the letter) I cooked it.... and at about 8 minutes the lid popped off - so I popped it back on, and stood back - then it popped off again and stood back in case there was an explosion, and bravely waited for the rest of the time {about 2 minutes)
I transferred this to the plate without mishap after testing with the skewer (how jolly professional) ..... here's the result .....

 

[Zigs]

 

[Tetters]

View attachment 294 View attachment 295 View attachment 296

There was a whoosh when the pudding flopped out of the basin, and i thought maybe the butter could have been left out and some fruit juice too, but changed my mind after tasting. It's the first time I've used a microwave to make this kind of pudding, but it sure is quick. I think it needs a splodge of custard really. or sultanas and currants for a ''spotted dick''
You could just use a couple of big spoons of jam or treacle instead of fruit.
Good luck with yours @Logan - don't forget to post your pics.

 

[Sheal]

Oh wow Tetters, that looks pretty good, certainly a lot better than my effort. I was a bit concerned about using a lid in the microwave so substituted with cling film that I pierced.

I've never tasted redcurrants and would like to try them. I can't get them anywhere here, they're as elusive as runner beans.

Isn't spotted dick a suet pudding? I can remember my mum making them.

 

[Tetters]

My gran always used suet for steamed puddings, and that's because it was cheaper to buy. They had to ''make manage'' in those days.
When I was about 3, all the grandchildren would assemble at Gran's place for some of her wonderful food. She cooked for us in big tinny bath type containers on the gas stove.
Flour and suet and a goodly pinch of salt, she said, all wrapped in cloths like big sausages and tied with string. When these were boiled, they were sectioned up into the right number of servings (usually about 14) The first helping had gravy on it, and the second helping was served with a dollop of jam, or, if she had the ingredients that week, with currants in the mix (spotted dick) AND custard. Wow. We didn't see many vegetables, and were still on rations then.

 

[Logan]

@Tetters that looks good and yes I'll post some pics, i used to make that sort of pudding in a microwave, never used a lid or cling film and came out well.

 

[Logan]

I used this pudding dish, i think that it's 2 pts.
I put the fruit in after heating them up to melt the butter, didn't put all of the juice in just covered them with it.
Had to be careful of putting the cake mixture on top, do it a bit at a time.
My microwave is a 1000 watts so i cooked it for 6 minutes on high and put a skewer in to test it and it came out clean, so thought that it was done.

Turned it upside down on a plate but the bottom wasn't cooked.

So put it back in for another 2mins on high still on the plate. It's very nice with ice cream.

 

[Sheal]

That was quite successful Logan.