Nigella's Speedy Steamed Syrup Sponge

Jan 13, 2025 | This amazing steamed pudding is ready in minutes not hours! Created exclusively for Ocado by everyone’s favourite home cook, Nigella Lawson, this light and delicious pudding is cooked in the microwave.

It’s so easy, so simple and so pleasing to eat; the only thing you need to worry about is whether to serve it with double cream, custard or ice cream.

Nigella's Speedy Steamed Syrup Sponge Pudding

AD* | "While I have nothing against stodge, what strikes me whenever I eat this, is how ridiculously light the sponge is. All too often this kind of ‘pud’ is disparaged these days as dense even though this is far from the case.

Freshly steamed, the sponge has a feathery and open texture; it’s only on keeping that it becomes indigestibly heavy. In other words, you must make the supreme sacrifice and eat it all up at once.

This version differs from the traditional model in one way only: it’s cooked in a trice in the microwave. It’s like being rewarded for impatience! All I require with this golden treasure is copious amounts of cool double cream, though I concede there are undeniable arguments to be made on behalf of custard or ice cream.

Anyway, I have no desire to keep you any longer. The sooner you stop reading this, the sooner you can be eating it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be positively purring with pleasure..."


* This is a hoot! It must be Nigella’s sense of humour!

Get the recipe here.