Maggie Richardson, aka Maggie the Seaside Baker, The Great British Bake Off's first ever Dorset contestant, has created a pudding fit for Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration. It's a variation on Portland Pudding, a dessert enjoyed by George III when he stayed in Weymouth
Back in January, Fortnum & Mason invited amateur bakers across the land to create a pudding ‘fit for our Queen’. My entry for The Platinum Pudding Competition was a variation on Dorset’s Portland Pudding, and although this didn’t make it to the shortlist of finalists (there were over 5,000 entries), I’m sharing it with you here, so you can make it at home.
King George III (1760 – 1820), the three times great grandfather of our present Queen, loved visiting Weymouth and Portland where he enjoyed the health benefits of sea bathing. He frequently made his headquarters in The Portland Arms, now known as The Royal Portland Arms, in Fortuneswell. The landlady used to make a pudding that she called Portland Pudding, which the King enjoyed so much that he renamed it The Royal Pudding. I’ve adapted the Portland Pudding recipe so that it contains at least one ingredient from each of the current commonwealth countries, and it’s served with an orange sauce.
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The Royal Portland Pudding
If you want to make this as a cake, simply double the sponge mix and bake at 170°C fan/190°C/gas mark 5 in a 20cms cake tin for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Both the sponges and cake can be frozen and the puddings reheated in a microwave.
Makes 4 individual puddings
75g unsalted butter softened
75g caster sugar
75g self-raising flour
25g mixed peel
25g dark chocolate chips
2 large eggs separated (large eggs weigh between 55g and 60g)
1 tsp mixed spice
I tbsp rum (optional)
For the orange sauce
75g caster sugar
75g unsalted butter cut into small chunks
2 large oranges – zested and juiced
40mls double cream
rum or Cointreau to taste (optional)
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6. Grease 4 x 8.5cms individual pudding basins (Trex is ideal for greasing as it’s tasteless and is an excellent releasing agent).
2 Make the sponges: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. After a few minutes test the mixture, if you can still feel the sugar, keep mixing. When it’s ready, beat in the egg yolks.
3 Mix the flour, mixed spice and peel until the peel is well coated, fold into the mixture.
4 Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold gently into the mix. Then fold in the chocolate chips and the optional rum.
5. Divide the mixture evenly between each pudding basin. Place these on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool a little in the basin before turning out onto a serving plate.
6 Make the orange sauce: Put the sugar into a saucepan over a medium heat and caramelise until golden brown. Don’t stir but do watch it carefully.
7. Add the butter, orange zest and juice. Simmer for about 2 minutes. You can stir it at this stage. Don’t worry if the caramel sticks to the base of the saucepan, the boiling will melt it into the sauce.
8. Add the double cream. If the sauce is too thin, boil gently to reduce. If you prefer a smooth sauce then put it through a fine sieve, or leave with bits in! Stir through the rum or Cointreau if using. Serve a jug of sauce alongside the puddings or pour over each individual pudding and serve.
Optional decoration: I topped my puddings with little crowns made from marzipan when I put this in for the competition.
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Click here for Maggie's recipe for Dorset apple cake
Click her for Maggie's recipe for gluten free carrot cake
Click here for Maggie's recipe for malt loaf
