Sunderland Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 0.5 cup cold butter
• 600 ml milk
• 2 cup sifted flour
• 5 eggs
• grated lemon rind

Method

Heat the milk to steaming point — around 80°C — then whisk in the cold butter until fully emulsified. This temperature gradient matters: the heat partially melts the butter and allows it to distribute evenly through the liquid without separating. Let this cool to room temperature before proceeding; a tepid mixture will break the egg foam you're about to build.

Separate all five eggs. Whisk the whites to stiff peaks — the moment they hold a glossy, vertical ridge when you lift the whisk. Reserve the yolks separately. The whites are your leavening agent here; their baking structure depends on them staying dry and undisturbed until the final fold.

Cream the sugar and the five yolks together until pale and thick — this takes three to four minutes of hard beating and lightens the batter by incorporating air. Fold in the flour gently in two additions, then pour in the cooled milk-butter mixture, stirring until just combined. Add the lemon rind. At this stage the batter will look slack, almost like a thick custard. This is correct. Now fold in the whisked whites in two additions, using a metal spoon or rubber spatula with decisive sweeping motions — you want to keep the foam intact.

Butter individual ceramic cups or dariole moulds well, then three-quarter fill them. The pudding has two parts: a sponge cake layer that forms at the top, and a pudding sauce that develops underneath during baking. This separation happens because the batter is deliberately loose. Bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes until the sponge is set and springs back to a light touch. The puddings will wobble slightly at the base — that's the sauce, not overbaking.

Turn out onto warm plates whilst still hot, or serve in the cups with the sauce still pooled beneath. A sharp lemon dairy sauce — made with butter, sugar, and lemon juice whisked over gentle heat — complements the pudding's lightness without masking its citrus character. A cold custard works equally well.