Tom Kerridge's Steamed Jam Sponge Puddings
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Ingredients
Sponge:
Custard:
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
Brush four individual pudding basins (250ml capacity) with butter and dust lightly with flour, shaking out the excess. Put a disc of greaseproof paper in the bottom of each basin then spoon in the strawberry jam, dividing it evenly four ways.
Using an electric hand whisk, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl for 8 minutes or until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Fold in half of the self-raising flour and half of the milk, then fold in the remaining flour and milk, until smoothly combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pudding basins, dividing it evenly.
Stand the pudding basins upright in a large baking tin and pour enough boiling water into the tin to come halfway up their sides. Cover the tin with a layer of baking paper and then a sheet of foil. Secure the paper and foil around the rim of the tin. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
To make the custard, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Then pour the cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod and seeds and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring throughout. Remove the vanilla pod then gradually pour the cream onto the egg and sugar mix, whisking as you do so. Return the mixture to the pan. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, over a medium-low heat until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. It should register 82C on a cook's thermometer. Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a warmed jug.
Remove the pudding basins from the roasting tin and leave to stand for 5 minutes without flipping them over. With a knife, trim off any excess sponge to form a flat surface, then run the blade around the inside edge of each basin to loosen them. Finally flip the basins over, turning the puddings out onto warmed serving plates.
Serve with the custard.