If it’s comfort eating you’re after, this pudding surely fits the bill – but you’ll need a sweet tooth. On a practical note, you will also need 12 150ml pudding basins.

Makes 12

For the treacle mix
50g unsalted butter, plus 50g extra for greasing the basins
1 egg
20ml double cream
½ tsp table salt
454g tin of golden syrup
200g brown breadcrumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
15ml lemon juice

For the sponge
220g plain flour
1 tbsp mixed spice
2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
220g suet
2 eggs
565ml whole milk
50ml lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
Cream, to serve

Start by preparing the treacle mix. Make a beurre noisette by heating the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When it stops sizzling (a sign that all the water has evaporated, after which it will soon burn) and develops a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat immediately. Strain into a jug and leave to cool. Discard any blackened solids left in the sieve.

Put the egg, cream and salt in a bowl, and whisk until combined. Set aside. Pour 230g of golden syrup into a pan and heat gently until liquid. Stir the beurre noisette into the warmed golden syrup – try to avoid tipping in any sediment that may have collected at the bottom of the jug – then pour the buttery syrup into the egg and cream mixture. Stir in the breadcrumbs, then the lemon zest and juice. Mix well.

Grease the 12 pudding basins with softened butter, then spoon roughly 1 tbsp golden syrup into the base of each.

Mix all the dry sponge ingredients together with the suet in a bowl. Beat in the eggs and milk, whisk in the treacle mix until well combined, then add the lemon juice and zest – the mixture will begin to fizz as the baking soda is activated. It should be the consistency of a thick batter.

Divide the mixture evenly between the pudding basins, leaving about 1cm at the top for the puddings to rise. Put a foil lid on each basin, secure with string and place in a large saucepan. Pour in enough water to reach two-thirds of the way up the sides of the basins, then bring to the boil and leave to simmer for an hour. Check the water level from time to time to ensure that the pan doesn’t dry out.

Once cooked, turn the puddings out onto individual plates and serve with cream.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue