Pineapple & cherry sponge

We’ve used coconut oil instead of butter in this pudding – it’s an invaluable storecupboard staple for those wanting to consume less dairy.

n Serves 6 n Prep 30 mins n Cook 2 hrs 20 mins

140g coconut oil, plus extra for the

pudding basin

432g can pineapple rings in juice 100g glacé cherries, halved

140g self-raising flour, plus 1 tsp 140g white caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp golden syrup, warmed custard, to serve

1 Line the base of a 1-litre pudding basin with a disc of baking parchment, then oil the parchment. Drain the pineapple and save the juice. Pat the rings dry with kitchen paper, then use them to line the base and sides of the basin, cutting the last couple to fill any gaps. Push a halved cherry in each pineapple hole and any other gaps – you should have some left over.

2 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Boil the kettle. Melt the remaining coconut oil in a pan or the microwave. While it cools, put 140g flour and the sugar into a bowl and stir together. Toss the remaining cherries through 1 tsp flour.

3 Pour the coconut oil into the flour mixture along with the eggs, cherries and 2 tbsp pineapple juice. Fold everything together with a spatula and gently scrape into the pudding basin. Cover the pudding with a sheet of baking parchment, then a sheet of foil, with a folded pleat down the centre. Stand in a deep roasting tin on the middle shelf of the oven and pour the kettle-hot water into the tin, to come about halfway up the sides of the basin. Bake for 2 hrs 15 mins. Insert a skewer into the centre of the pudding – it will come out clean if it’s cooked, but if not, re-cover and return to the oven for 10 mins, then check again. To serve, carefully turn it out onto a plate, then brush with the warmed golden syrup and serve hot with custard.

PER SERVING 683 kcals, fat 39g, saturates 31g,

carbs 74g, sugars 41g, fibre 2g, protein 8g, salt 0.4g