Jam Sponge Pudding with Custard

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 225g self-raising flour, sifted
• 150ml whole milk (for the batter)
• 150g caster sugar
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar (optional, for a slight crust)
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g seedless raspberry jam
• 1 tbsp cornflour (to thicken custard)
• 500ml whole milk (for custard)
• 40g caster sugar (for custard)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds of ½ vanilla pod)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Brush a 1.2–1.5 litre pudding basin generously with softened butter and line the base with a small disc of baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and caster sugar with electric beaters for 3–4 minutes, until pale, fluffy and noticeably lighter in colour. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the sifted flour and a pinch of salt with a large metal spoon. Stir in the milk until the batter drops slowly and reluctantly from the spoon — soft, not runny.
3. Spoon a third of the batter into the basin and level it. Dollop the raspberry jam over the top and spread to the edges, then scatter over the demerara if using. Cover with the remaining batter and smooth the surface flat.
4. Cover the basin tightly with a double layer of buttered foil, pleating a fold across the centre so the sponge has room to rise. Sit it in a deep roasting tin and pour in boiling water from the kettle to come halfway up the basin. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the sponge is well risen, golden on top and a skewer pushed into the sponge (avoiding the jam layer) comes out clean.
5. While the pudding bakes, make the custard. Whisk the caster sugar and cornflour with a few tablespoons of cold milk in a small bowl until smooth. Warm the rest of the milk with the vanilla in a heavy-based pan until just steaming, then whisk in the cornflour mix. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat, whisking constantly for 2–3 minutes until the custard is thick, glossy and properly coats the back of a spoon. Keep warm, with a piece of baking paper pressed onto the surface to stop a skin forming.
6. Lift the basin from the water bath, peel off the foil and run a knife around the edge of the sponge. Invert onto a deep plate and lift the basin away — the jam should bleed down the sides in scarlet rivers. Bring straight to the table with the jug of hot custard.