- Serves 8 - Ready in 1 hour 45 minutes (including 'topping and tailing' time) -
* uses up 500g of gooseberries *
Gather together…
1 tbsp butter - to grease the baking dish.
500g of gooseberries (washed and then 'topped and tailed' with scissors).
200g butter (softened in the heating-up-oven for 3 minutes).
200g caster / granulated white sugar (this sugar is for the sponge, you add more to the gooseberries themselves later in the recipe).
100g desiccated coconut.
225g self-raising flour (sieved).
1 tsp baking powder (sieved).
100g plain yoghurt.
5 medium eggs (beaten).
150g caster / granulated white sugar - to sweeten the warmed gooseberries.
Get cooking…
1. Grease with 1 tbsp of butter an oven-proof, fairly shallow and wide pudding dish (at least 30cm x 20 cm x 7cm).
2. Then 'top and tail' the 500g of raw gooseberries using scissors, i.e. remove the top stalk and the 'tail'.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 160 C (140 C fan) or Gas 3.
4. Microwave the 500g of 'topped-and-tailed' gooseberries for 3 minutes on HIGH in a lidded, microwave-safe dish, to pre-soften them very slightly. There's no need to add any water as moisture from the gooseberries will be released when heated.
5. Meanwhile, soften the 200g of butter in a medium, oven-safe mixing bowl in the heating-up oven. Set a timer for three minutes so you don't forget about it! Some of the butter will melt, which is fine. Take care when removing the hot bowl from the oven.
6. Beat the softened butter and 200g white sugar together for a minute or two, using a metal spoon or use an electric food mixer for speed.
7. Add the 100g of desiccated coconut and mix it in.
8. Sieve in the 225g of self-raising flour and sieve in the 1 tsp of baking powder. Stir slightly just to combine the sieved ingredients, don't stir fully yet as you don't want to over-mix the flour or the sponge will be tough.
9. Add the 5 beaten eggs and the 100g of yoghurt and mix until fully combined with the other ingredients in the bowl, this will take up to 1 minute of mixing by hand, it will take less time if you are using a food mixer.
10. Remove the warmed gooseberries from the microwave and add to them the 150g of (extra) sugar, stir the gooseberries to distribute the sugar.
11. Add the sugary, warmed gooseberries (plus any juice the gooseberries have released) to the pudding mixture. Stir slightly, just to distribute the gooseberries.
12. Tip the mixture into the butter-greased oven-proof, fairly shallow and wide pudding dish (at least. 30cm x 20 cm x 7cm in size).
13. Bake the pudding in the oven for 1 hour.
14. Allow the pudding to cool slightly before serving - it is delicious eaten hot or cold, alone or with custard.
15. Once fully cooled, cover the pudding dish with a beeswax wrap and keep the pudding in the fridge - eat it up within three days.
Adapted from the Good Food recipe for Gooseberry and Coconut Cake - I wanted to use up more gooseberries and a 'pudding' can handle more juicy fruit than a 'cake' can.