HOT RASPBERRY SPONGE PUDDING

In a typical ready-made sponge pudding there could be up to 63g of carbs, but ours have just 14g so your blood sugar levels won’t hit the roof. The butter and almonds make this delicious but they do push the calories higher so have this as a treat, not every day. Individual silicone or metal dariole moulds are ideal for this.

PER SERVING 14g carbs, 9g fibre, 12g protein, 37g fat, 464 kcal

Serves 6

150g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

500g raspberries, fresh or frozen

3tsp vanilla extract

3 fat medjool dates, pitted

3 eggs

150g ground almonds

1½tsp baking powder

Hot vanilla custard (see recipe below),

cream or mascarpone cheese, to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Generously grease the moulds with butter.

Put the raspberries and 1tsp of vanilla extract into a pan. Bring to a boil and use a potato masher to mash them to a pulp as they soften. Turn the heat to low and simmer them gently for 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour the raspberries into a sieve over a bowl and push them through with a spoon until only pips remain, to be discarded. Measure out 6tbsp of the sauce and set aside. Pour the rest into the moulds, equally.

Melt the dates in a small bowl with 3tbsp of hot water and mash with a fork until smooth. Push as much of the mixture as possible through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl, discarding only the skins. Add the butter and whisk together by hand, then crack in the eggs and whisk again. Add the almonds, the remaining vanilla and the baking powder and stir well with a spatula. Spoon the mixture into the moulds and put them in an ovenproof dish. Fill the dish with cold water to come up 3cm around the moulds. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the sponge is golden brown and springy to the touch. Carefully remove the dish from the oven and leave until you are ready to serve – the puddings will sit happily for up to 30 minutes.

When ready, heat the extra raspberry sauce in a pan or in the microwave. Lift the moulds out of the water – use tongs if still hot. Run a knife around the edge and invert each mould onto a warm plate with 1tbsp of the reserved sauce poured over the top. Serve with custard, cream or mascarpone.