Want to have a warm, comforting dessert on a cold winter night? Look no further than this mouthwatering treacle sponge pudding! It's simple to make, and utterly delicious.
Looking for more British dessert recipes? You'll love this McVitie's copycat Jamaican ginger cake and this traditional coffee and walnut cake.
Why This Recipe Works
- The ingredients are at room temperature. This helps them combine better and yield a better textured sponge.
- This recipe uses real golden syrup. You can't substitute this buttery sugar syrup, as it has a very unique flavor that makes this pudding excellent!
- You'll know when it's cooked. Inserting a skewer through the foil mean you don't have to take the cover off to check when it's done! You'll know it's ready when the skewer comes out clean.
- It's easy to turn out of the basin. Generously greasing the basin and lining the base with parchment paper help prevent sticking.
Ingredients
Curious what ingredients you need to whip up your own delicious treacle sponge pudding? You won't need a lot of ingredients to make this tasty British dessert! Let's talk about the most important ones.
- Golden Syrup: This really is the key ingredient in this dessert! Golden syrup is a partially inverted sugar syrup produced as a byproduct of the sugar refining process, and has a beautiful golden color and buttery, sweet flavor. It's important to purchase real golden syrup (affiliate), as there is no substitute for its flavor.
- Flour: Many recipes use self-raising flour, but we opted for plain flour (all-purpose in the US) with added baking powder. If you'd like to use self-raising, omit the salt and only add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Sugar: You can use golden caster sugar/light muscovado sugar (light brown sugar in the US) or dark muscovado sugar (dark brown sugar in the US). If you use dark muscovado, your sponge will be darker and have a more treacle-y flavor. We used golden caster sugar plus 1 tablespoon black treacle for a rich flavor.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is the best option here, as it's typically fresher than salted butter.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Treacle Sponge Pudding
Gather all the ingredients.
- Grease a 1.5-liter pudding basin (affiliate) with butter, then place a circle of parchment paper at the bottom. Pour in 3 tablespoons of golden syrup, then set aside. (image 1)
- Beat the butter, sugar, and black treacle together until they are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. (image 2)
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add a spoonful of flour with each egg to prevent curdling. (image 3)
- Stir in the remaining tablespoon of golden syrup, the flour, salt, and baking powder until combined. (image 4)
- Spread the sponge mixture in the prepared basin, leveling the top. (image 5)
- Cut a piece of foil and parchment paper larger than the top of the basin, and fold a pleat in the center to allow the pudding to expand. (image 6)
- Cover the pudding, parchment side down, and tie on the cover securely with kitchen twine. Make a string handle to make it easy to remove from the steamer. (image 7)
- Steam for 2 hours, making sure the water level is halfway up the side of the basin. It is cooked when a skewer inserted comes out clean. (image 8)
- Let the pudding stand for 5 minutes, then run a knife round the edge and turn it out onto a plate. Optional: pour more golden syrup on top to make it glisten. (image 9)
- Serve immediately while still warm with pouring custard and enjoy! (image 10)
Recipe FAQs
Treacle pudding is a light-colored, moist sponge cake steamed in a basin and flavored with buttery-tasting golden syrup. It's an old fashioned favorite in the UK, as it's the perfect cozy winter treat.
No--these two desserts are quite different! Treacle sponge is a steamed pudding with a mild flavor from the golden syrup inside, while sticky toffee pudding is usually an oven-baked cake made with dates and served with a toffee sauce.
Treacle sponge has a mild flavor similar to a vanilla sponge cake, but has a wonderfully fluffy and moist, sticky texture, which is perfectly complemented by vanilla pouring custard.
Treacle in the UK typically refers to what Americans call molasses. However, treacle in the UK can also refer to any cane sugar syrup, which includes golden syrup (an inverted syrup made from cane sugar). When golden syrup was first introduced in 1885, the public considered it to be a "light" or "golden" version of treacle, hence the name.
Make Ahead: Technically, you can make up the sponge mixture the night before and refrigerate it, but this will not produce as high-rising of a sponge. If you want to make it ahead, it's best to make and cook the sponge completely.
Leftovers: Leftovers should be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Dish individual portions into small dishes and cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high until hot.
Freezing: Leftovers freeze beautifully inside of a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge or in the microwave.
Serve
It's best to serve it hot and fresh out of the steamer for the best taste and texture. Make sure to serve it with crème anglaise (pouring custard) for an authentic presentation. If custard isn't your thing, you can also serve the treacle sponge pudding with crème fraîche, clotted cream, or even vanilla ice cream.
If you're looking for other British sweets, you'll want to try our recipes for vegan sticky toffee pudding, coffee and walnut cake, and chocolate teacakes.
Expert Tips
- Make sure all the sponge ingredients are at room temperature, and use a kitchen scale to weigh solid ingredients for the best accuracy. (Tap the metric conversion button in the recipe ingredients to see the weights.)
- If you'd like to use self-raising flour, omit the salt and only add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- If you don't own a pudding basin, use any heatproof bowl with a lip, which will allow you to secure the cover.
- For a brighter flavor, add the zest of 1 lemon to the sponge mixture for a variation.
- Cover the pudding tightly to ensure that no water gets into the basin as the pudding cooks.
Other British Desserts You'll Love
Recipe
Treacle Sponge Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons golden syrup
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- scant 1 cup light brown sugar, aka golden caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses, aka black treacle
- 3 large eggs
- scant 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, aka plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk
- pouring custard, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Preparing the Basin & Steamer
- Generously grease a 1 or 1.5-liter pudding basin with butter, and line the base with a circle of parchment paper. Pour 3 tablespoons (60g) of golden syrup into the pudding basin and set aside.
- Prepare the cover by cutting a square of foil and baking paper larger than the mouth of the pudding basin. Fold a pleat in the center to allow the pudding to expand as it cooks.
- Prepare the steamer by placing a jam lid or upturned saucer in a large pot. This acts as a trivet, keeping the pudding basin away from the direct heat of the element beneath. Make sure the lid of the pot fits tightly with the basin inside.
Making the Pudding
- Beat the sugar, butter, and black treacle together for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and add a spoonful of flour with each one to prevent curdling.
- Mix in the remaining tablespoon of golden syrup (20g), flour, baking powder, and salt until blended. Add enough milk to give the batter a “dropping” consistency; meaning it can fall off of a spoon when shaken.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared basin and cover with the lid, parchment side down. Secure the cover by tightly tying it with kitchen twine under the lip of the basin, and make a string handle to make it easy to remove the pudding later.
- Place the basin in the steamer, and fill it with boiling water to halfway up the side of the basin. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and steam for 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted through the foil and into the pudding comes out clean. Add more water as needed throughout the cooking process to keep the water level halfway up the basin.
- Remove the pudding from the steamer and take off the cover, then let it stand for 5 minutes. Run a flat-bladed knife round the edge to loosen it, then invert it onto a serving plate.
- Drizzle the pudding with a little extra golden syrup if desired, then serve immediately with pouring custard.
Video
Notes
- Make sure all the sponge ingredients are at room temperature, and use a kitchen scale to weigh solid ingredients for the best accuracy. (Tap the Metric conversion button in the recipe ingredients to see the weights.)
- If you'd like to use self-raising flour, omit the salt and only add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- If you don't own a pudding basin, use any heatproof bowl with a lip, which will allow you to secure the cover.
- For a brighter flavor, add the zest of 1 lemon to the sponge mixture for a variation.
- Cover the basin tightly to ensure that no water gets inside as the pudding cooks.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Beth
This pudding has a lovely, warm, and comforting taste. It's very British and tastes great with pouring custard. An excellent use of treacle!
Emma
Glad you enjoyed it, Beth!
Alex
The sponge is light and fluffy, and the custard adds a creamy taste to the lightly sweet pudding. It is so good!
Emma
We're happy you enjoyed the pudding, Alex!