Coconut Jam Pudding

Coconut Jam Pudding Recipe

The polo neck jumpers are out, the coat’s back on and there are scrunchy leaves on the ground in Richmond Park. This can only mean one thing – the return of the hot pudding. I have, frankly, had enough of summer fruits and Greek yoghurt and am craving a large portion of stodge. And, in a good way, they don’t come much stodgier than this Coconut Jam Pudding. This is what your Sunday suppers are crying out for, as I expect your family are too. And it’s all thanks to the English Kitchen for the inspiration.

This is a simple pudding. Thank God for that because I often find Sunday lunch/supper quite a kerfuffle, especially if it’s a roast. Each family member has their own roast based requirements; litres of gravy, Yorkshire puddings, peas, cauliflower cheese, the list is endless. So by the time I get round to dessert, I have slightly lost the will to cook. This Coconut Jam Pudding mainly involves melting, stirring and scraping so totally drama free. The baking dish is layered with the jam of your choice, and if the top shelf of your fridge is anything like mine, this could be any flavour of jam under the sun. The dry ingredients are then combined with the wet to create a sweet, coconut based batter which is poured over the jam base. While your main course finishes off, the pud can be popped into your oven to quietly cook for under an hour. The resulting dish is sweet, but not too sweet *I reduced the amount of sugar by quite a lot from the original recipe*, warming, with a divine layer of hot jam underneath. All that’s left to do is drown your portion in cream.

This recipe makes a bloody great big dish full. Clyde can vouch for that as he alone ate it, with a large pot of cream, for a week. He couldn’t be happier we are hurtling towards winter.

This line up contains just one of the jars of jam I had in my EU jam mountain. Will this be horribly depleted when Brexit kicks in, I do hope not. Clyde only really likes strawberry so I was pleased to use up a few rogue jars of raspberry in the making of this winter dessert.

Make a start on this seasonal special by pre heating your oven and buttering a suitable baking dish. Mine was a rectangular one, but a square one around 20cm by 20cm would work just fine. Measure in your jam then smooth into a rough layer.

Next, take a large bowl and measure in the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and coconut. Give this a little mix then pop to one side.

Now for the wet *I don’t like that word particularly* ingredients. Melt your butter in a jug in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove.

Once this has cooled slightly, whisk in the milk, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Now, combine the two mixtures and fold together until you have a smooth-ish batter.

Pour and scrape this delicious mixture into the jam bottomed dish and level the top. Place the dish onto a baking tray for ease of removal from the oven.

Bake this pudding for around 50 minutes or until firm, golden, smelling divine and the jam is bubbling.

Leave the pud to settle for 5 minutes before serving in large scoops with the accompaniment of your choice. Cream, custard or ice cream would all be amazing here.

I would say this pudding would comfortably feed 8 hungry diners.  Or 1 hungry Clyde, 8 times. It’s up to you.

Lucy x

Coconut Jam Pudding Recipe

Serves a generous 6 to 8 guests

You will need a buttered baking dish, I found a glass rectangular one

6 heaped tablespoons jam, strawberry, raspberry or even apricot

250g plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

225g caster sugar

90g desiccated coconut

125g butter, melted

3 eggs, beaten

375 milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream or custard to serve

Pre heat your oven to 160 degrees fan assisted and butter your baking dish.

Spoon the jam into your buttered dish and spread over the bottom in an even-ish layer.

Take a large bowl and measure in the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and coconut. Give it a little mix then pop to one side.

Take a jug and melt the butter in the microwave or melt in a pan on the stove. Allow to cool slightly then pour in the milk then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Pour the butter mixture into the flour and coconut mixture and fold together until you have a well mixed batter. Pour and scrape this mixture onto the jam in the baking dish and smooth the top. Put the dish onto a baking tray for ease of removal then pop into the oven and bake for around 50 minutes or until firm to the touch, golden and cooked through.

Leave to settle for 5 minutes before serving in large spoonfuls, with plenty of cream, ice cream or custard to serve.