Fig sponge pudding

Sponge pudding gets taken up a level with the addition of delicious baked figs and thyme, resulting in a seriously comforting wintry dessert. Serve warm with cream, ice cream or Greek yogurt

Prep:20 mins
Cook:1 hrs
plus cooling

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 733
fat 32g
saturates 19g
carbs 98g
sugars 75g
fibre 6g
protein 10g
salt 1.3g

Ingredients

250g butter, softened, plus extra for the dish
5 tbsp golden syrup
4 tbsp honey
8 fresh figs
4 large eggs
250g golden caster sugar
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt
2-3 thyme sprigs (optional)
extra virgin olive oil or honey, for drizzling (optional)

Tip

For extra crunch

The crisp top of the pudding provides a great contrast of textures with the sponge centre, but if you want even more crunch, try crumbling over a couple of sesame brittle bars.

Method

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20 x 22cm ovenproof dish, then pour in the golden syrup and honey. Trim the stalks from the figs, then cut a deep cross in the top, just so they open out a bit, but be careful not to cut all the way through. Sit the figs upright on top of the syrup and put them in the oven to bake for 15-20 mins until softened and starting to caramelise a little at the edges.
While the figs are cooking, make the sponge mixture. Put the eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and butter in a bowl and use an electric whisk to beat until smooth.
Remove the dish from the oven, scoop the figs out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Once the syrup mixture has cooled in the dish, take spoonfuls of the sponge batter and gently place them on top of the syrup. It’s best to do this all the way around the edge first, then end in the middle – this helps keep the syrup mixture separate. Smooth the batter out very gently to cover any gaps and seal the syrup mixture in.
Bake for 35-40 mins or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Allow to cool for around 5 mins or until just warm, then seconds before serving, dot the surface with eight small dollops of the yogurt. Top each mound with a baked fig, then scatter over some thyme leaves and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, if you like.