STEAM PUDDINGS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 July 1939, Page 8

STEAM PUDDINGS

FOR WINTER NIGHTS TRY THESE RECIPES. When shivers run up your spine and you find it hard to tear yourself away from the fire —that is the time when steam pudding will be appreciated on the menu. Twelve Puddings from One Recipe. This simple sponge mixture can be used in at least twelve different ways for cakes and steamed or baked puddings. Take 2 eggs, their weight in butter, sugar, and flour. Cream the butter and sugar, beat up the eggs, and add separately, mixing in thoroughly. Mix in a little flour at a time, also a small teaspoonful of baking-powder if plain flour is used. Beat up thoroughly. This mixture can be put in a buttered basin and steamed for one and a half to two hours, or baked in a buttered pie-dish for three-quarters of an hour to one hour. As a cake it takes about one hour in a moderate oven. Treacle Sponge Put two tablespoonfuls of syrup at the bottom of pie-dish or basin. Ginger Sponge Add two level teaspoonfuls of ground ginger to the flour. Serve with vanilla sauce. Cherry Sponge. Cut up two or three ounces of glace cherries and add to mixture. Serve with custard sauce. Marmalade Sponge Put two tablespoonfuls of marmalade at bottom of basin or pie-dish. Sultana Sponge Four ounces of sultanas, raisins, or currants or all mixed added to sponge mixture. Date Sponge Four ounces of dates are added. These two puddings take a little longer to cook, and if more fruit is added still longer cooking will be required. Coffee Sponge Add one tablespoonful of coffee essence to mixture, and a little extra flour. Serve with white sauce flavoured with coffee or cream. Chocolate Sponge Add a good tablespoonful of cocoa and a little extra sugar or chocolate powder without extra sugar to the flour. Serve with chocolate sauce. Orange Sponge Grate rind of two oranges into mixture and mix well. Serve with white sauce flavoured with juice of one orange. Lemon Sponge, Same as orange with a little more sugar added to sauce. Peach Sponge Drain the juice from a tin of peaches, cut up small, and place in bottom of a pie-dish. Pour sponge mixture over. Any tinned, stewed, or fresh fruit, drained of juice, can be used for this pudding. Strawberry Sponge Mix enough cochineal into the mixture to colour it 'pink. Put two tablespoonfuls of strawberry jam at the bottom of the basin. All these mixtures except the treacle, marmalade, jam, and peach can be baked as cakes.