Sticky orange pudding

Need a last minute recipe for an alternative Christmas pudding. Panic over. This recipe from BBC good food is dead easy to make and looks absolutely stunning!

Not only can you have it on the table in under 30 minutes, you can make it up to three days in advance!

The only minus is that it is a touch on the sweet side – is that a problem? certainly not in our house!

STICKY ORANGE PUDDING
Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons golden syrup
2 clementines or satsumas, thinly sliced
175 g butter + little for greasing
175 g golden caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
85 g self raising flour
85 g fresh white breadcrumbs
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons Marsala or orange juice
zest 1 large orange
200 g mixed dried fruit
handful glace cherries, halved
syrup sauce:
5 tablespoons golden syrup
zest 1 orange
juice of ½ orange
3 tablespoons Madeira

METHOD:

Butter the inside of a 1.2 litre  pudding basin. Spoon 3 tablespoons of golden syrup into the bottom.

Lay 5 slices of the oranges on top of the syrup in an overlapping pattern.

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.

Beat in the eggs, adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg.

Sift in the rest of the flour, then tip in the bread crumbs and mix well.

Fold in the rest of the ingredients for the pudding, except for the orange slices.

Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin, pressing the orange slices against the sides of the bowl as you go.

To cook on the hob: cover the basin with buttered, pleated greaseproof paper and then with pleated foil. Tie with string.

Place on a heatproof saucer in the bottom of a large saucepan. Pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides of the bowl.

Cover with a tightly fitting lid and simmer for 1 ½ hrs, topping up with boiling water as necessary.

To microwave: cover loosely with cling film, pierce once, and cook on medium (around 450) for 12 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Gently heat all the ingredients for the syrup together.

Turn the pudding out onto a serving dish, pour a little of the sauce over and serve the rest of the sauce separately.

The pudding can be cooked in advance and kept chilled for up to three days before reheating and serving.

To reheat: re-cover and either steam for 30 mins or microwave for 5 mins until hot. Reheat the sauce and serve.