Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 175g plain flour, sifted
• 200ml milk
• 75g caster sugar
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 60g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 400ml boiling water
• 150g dark soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/Gas 6 and put the kettle on. Whisk the melted butter, caster sugar and egg in a large bowl until smooth and glossy, then stir in the milk and vanilla.
2. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and fold through to a thick, smooth batter — no streaks of flour. Scrape into an ovenproof dish (about 20 x 30cm) and smooth the top level.
3. Scatter the dark brown sugar evenly across the batter — don't be shy, every corner — then drizzle over the golden syrup in lazy ribbons.
4. Slowly pour 400ml of freshly boiled water over the back of a large spoon held just above the surface, covering the whole dish. Resist the urge to stir; the water sinks and turns into sauce as it bakes.
5. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the sponge has risen through the sugar layer, the top is golden at the edges and just springy in the centre, and you can see dark butterscotch bubbling fiercely around the sides.
6. Rest for 5 minutes — long enough to stop the sauce scalding, short enough to keep it molten. Crack the spoon through the sponge and you'll hit a glossy pool of butterscotch underneath.
7. Spoon generous, messy portions into bowls, making sure each one gets plenty of sauce from the bottom of the dish. Top with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream and, if you like, the smallest pinch of flaky salt to sharpen the toffee.