BLACKBERRY AND GINGER HAT

This is lighter than traditional steamed puddings as it uses butter instead of suet.

SERVES 6

PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes COOKING TIME about 1 hour 40 minutes

300g blackberries

115g caster sugar, plus 1tbsp 115g butter, softened, plus extra to grease

2 large eggs, beaten 1tsp vanilla extract

115g self-raising flour, sifted ½tsp baking powder 50g ground almonds 1tbsp milk

2 balls stem ginger, diced 2 tbsp crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur)

1 Put the blackberries and 1tbsp sugar into a small pan and cook for 5-10min, until softened – if you prefer a finer texture, push the mixture through a sieve – and set aside to cool.

2 Grease a 1-litre pudding basin with butter and put in half the cooled fruit. Cut a rectangle each of foil and baking parchment large enough to cover the basin, then fold across the middle to form a pleat (to allow the pudding to expand during cooking). Set aside.

3 Put remaining butter and sugar into a bowl and mix with a handheld electric whisk until fluffy and lighter in colour. Beat in the eggs, mixing well between additions, then the vanilla.

4 Fold in remaining ingredients except liqueur; add to basin. Put foil and parchment on top, foil uppermost, and tie with string. Trim parchment and foil so they won’t touch the water.

5 Put the pudding in a large pan sitting on an upturned saucer and fill with boiling water to come halfway up the basin side. Cover and simmer for 1½hr, checking the water level occasionally.

6 Stir the liqueur into the remaining blackberries and heat until warm.

7 Once cooked, remove basin from the pan, loosen the edges of the pudding with a round-bladed knife and turn out on to a plate. Pour the sauce over the top. Serve with custard or cream, if you like.