Blackberry sponge pudding with coconut
Blackberry and coconut sponge with lashings of custard is autumnal comfort in a bowl. Make this retro pudding with frozen blackberries using entertaining expert Rosie Mackean’s simple recipe.
- Comfort food favourite: “My abiding and favourite memory of school lunches was the hot sponge puddings we would have. Always served with thick, sweet custard, they didn’t vary that much in flavour but were abundantly comforting,” says Rosie. “I have recently decided in my adulthood that if I like hot sponge puddings so much, I should just make them for myself, and that has been a great life choice, I can tell you. This is a wonderfully delicate and decadent one, with a fragrant coconut sponge baked over a luscious blackberry compote. Covered in custard, it’s unbeatable.”
- Top tip: “Because you’re cooking the blackberries down to a syrupy mass, frozen berries work best here,” says Rosie. “As the berries are frozen the water in each cell turns to ice and expands, breaking the cell structure so they quickly turn juicy when cooked. You don’t need to defrost them.” You can use frozen berries from the supermarket or, if you’ve been blackberry picking, follow our guide to freezing your hedgerow haul.
- Make ahead: You can make the blackberry compote the day before and store, covered, in the fridge until ready to use.
Browse more brilliant blackberry recipes.
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Ingredients
For the sponge
- 200g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
- 250g self-raising flour
- 100g desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 250g golden caster sugar
- 80ml coconut milk
- 4 medium eggs
For the blackberries
- 1kg frozen blackberries (see intro)
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour, sifted
- Finely grated zest and juice ½ lemon
To top
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1-2 tbsp desiccated coconut
- Custard to serve
Specialist kit
- 33cm x 22cm baking tin
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Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5 and grease the baking tin with butter. Put the frozen blackberries and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat, mixing well. The idea is to defrost the blackberries without cooking them, so avoid boiling them.
- Once the mixture is syrupy, remove from the heat. Transfer 2 tbsp of the syrup to a small bowl, mix well with the cornflour to make a slurry, then pour this back into the fruit. Stir well, then pour the entire mixture into the greased tin.
- To make the sponge, combine the flour, coconut, baking powder and cardamom in a bowl and set aside. Put the sugar and butter in a separate bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and beat them together until pale and fluffy. Crack in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Once all the eggs are added, fold in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half the coconut milk. Repeat with another third of flour, the remaining coconut milk, and then finally the remaining flour. Spoon the batter on top of the blackberries. You don’t have to spread it out very evenly – just give it a light touch with a spatula to get an even surface.
- Put the dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. A skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean. Sprinkle the surface with the caster sugar and coconut, then serve immediately with hot custard.
Nutrition
- 662 kcals Calories
- 33.5g (20.8g saturated) Fat
- 7.1g Protein
- 80.2g (55.6g sugars) Carbs
- 7.8g Fibre
- 0.3g Salt
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