Like many British children I turned to steamed sponges for warmth and comfort during the long winter months. I loved the chocolate puddings that my mum would give me at home, rich with sauce and humming with sweetness, but the stodgy syrup and jam sponges at school were just as welcome.

As I was discussing with my parents last night when we tucked into this particular pudding, the flavours and textures of a steamed pudding are what make it so distinctive and moreish. Technically, I use the same recipe for this pudding as I do for my baked sponges, but the steaming gives the sponge a unique, tender bite which distinguishes it from any other cake.

Warm sponges like these call for something sweet and sticky to top them. Traditionally jam or golden syrup is used. I still remember the excitement at school when syrup sponge was on the menu; it’s a total crowd pleaser. I suppose it’s the trifecta of sticky, soft and sweet which appeals to our inner child.

I was inspired to make this recipe when I spotted some marmalade with stem ginger in the supermarket sitting nearby a large bag of plump bronze sultanas. Nigella Lawson has a well-known baked marmalade pudding recipe which is a favourite in our house (we’ve made it many times over) and I suddenly had the idea to make a steamed pudding- something a little more grown up.

In the interests of being grown up this pudding has sultanas in, something which my younger self would baulk at. Feel free to omit them if you feel similarly, but I think they add a nice texture and compliment the bitter orange flavour of the marmalade. Also regarding texture, I think that marmalade with peel looks and tastes better than marmalade without peel, but this is a matter of preference.

Steamed puddings can be served with any number of sauces or sides: cream, custard, ice cream. We have some yoghurt lovers in our house who douse any and all cakes with it. The good thing about steamed puddings, however, is that they do tend to be moist, and can be eaten without accompaniment.

I hope that you give a steamed pudding a go this winter if you’ve never made one before. It’s actually very easy to do, though they take a bit of time to cook, and they don’t require any equipment which isn’t readily available. I got my cooking instructions from St Delia Smith, but this is my own recipe.

Gluten Free Steamed Pudding with Marmalade + Sultanas (serves eight)

Equipment required:

One large steamer

One ceramic pudding bowl (2 pints or 1 and 1/4 litres)

Aluminium foil

String

Ingredients:

170g GF self raising flour

110g light muscovado sugar

170g butter

3 eggs

Two handfuls sultanas

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp marmalade

1. Prepare your steamer.
2. Grease the inside of the pudding bowl well. Place the marmalade into the bowl and smooth it so that it covers the base of the bowl in an even layer.
3. Combine the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
5. Pour the mixture into the pudding bowl and smooth it out.
6. Cut two pieces of aluminium foil large enough to cover the top of the pudding bowl and place them on top of one another. create a ‘pleat’ or ‘fold’ along the middle of the foil (this allows for expansion). I’ve inserted pictures below this recipe to help.
7. Place the pleated foil on top of the pudding bowl and tie it to the bowl with string. You can create a loop with the string to make it easier to remove the pudding bowl from the steamer when the pudding is ready.
8. Place the pudding bowl in the steamer and steam for an hour and a half.
9. Once the steaming time is over, remove the lid from the steamer and allow to cool for a minute before removing the pudding bowl. Cut the string, remove the foil and flip the pudding onto your serving dish in the same way you would make a sandcastle. Serve immediately.