Cape brandy pudding

Serves 8-10 portions Pudding: 30ml (2T) butter 400g (2C) soft brown sugar 2 eggs 125ml apricot jam 280g cake flour 10ml (2T) bicarbonate of soda 2.5ml salt 500ml evaporated milk 30ml white wine vinegar 20ml vanilla essence

SYRUP 250ml cream 250ml milk 120g butter 150g soft brown sugar 60ml boiling water 60ml brandy or 10ml brandy essence

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a tart dish of about 23cm x 30cm with butter.

Make the pudding: beat the butter, brown sugar, eggs and apricot jam together until light and creamy.

Sift the cake flour, bicarbonate of soda and the salt together. Mix the evaporated milk, vinegar and vanilla essence together.

Alternate mixing the flour mixture and the milk mixture with the butter mixture.

Spoon the batter into the greased dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat and pour the hot syrup over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve with egg custard.

Egg custard 250ml milk (thick custard) or 500ml milk (thin custard)

2 egg yolks, at room temperature 10ml cornflour 45ml white sugar 15ml butter 5ml vanilla essence

METHOD

Pour the milk in a small saucepan and heat to lukewarm, not hot, stir regularly with a whisk. Beat the egg yolks cornflour and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the warm milk to the egg mixture and whisk well.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and keep stirring with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Test whether the custard is done by dipping a tablespoon into the custard, drag your finger through the custard on the back of the spoon.

If it makes a clean stripe, the custard is ready.

Beat the butter and vanilla. Serve hot

TIP

To prevent a skin from forming on the surface of the custard, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface.