Ta Da... Was this the one???
HOLIDAY HOT CAKE WITH EGGNOG CREAM
This is a Christmassy-spiced version of those magic pudding-cakes which look like some sort of joke as you make them, pouring boiling water over batter, but when they've been cooked turn out to be (admittedly unhandsome) sponges with thick sauce underneath.
Looks are not everything, and the gingerbutterscotch flavours of sponge and sauce make this a seductive winner.
And that's even before we've got on to the eggnog cream. This is a miracle topping that you will want to put on Christmas pudding, hot chocolate, any cake or pie, in fact anything and everything. I see no earthly reason why not.
150g flour
100g light muscovado sugar, plus 200g extra
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons mixed spice
125 ml full-fat milk
60 ml vegetable oil
1 egg
6 teaspoons butter
500 ml boiling water
- Preheat oven to 220 C/gas mark 7 and place a baking sheet on the shelf. Put water on to boil.
- Mix together the flour, 100g of the sugar, the baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of the mixed spice, and the milk, oil and egg.
- Put into a greased, round baking dish (23cm diameter x 6cm deep)
- In another bowl, mix together the remaining 200g sugar with the remaining ground ginger, and sprinkle over batter in its baking dish. Dot the butter on top and pour boiling water over the mixture. Trust me.
- Put the dish on the baking sheet in the oven for 30 min. Let it stand for 10 min before serving, and make sure you scoop out the sauce beneath the sponge in the dish.
Serves 6-8
EGGNOG CREAM
350ml double cream
125ml Advocaat
- Put the cream and Advocaat in a bowl.
- Using an electric whisk, whip until thick but still soft.
- Serve with any festive pud.
Makes 500ml.