Treacke Sponge Pudding

There are lots of folks who don't consider treacle pudding to be good - they think of it as a disgusting dessert for poor people. Personally, I really like the stuff and make it often at home. My husband's a purist, one of the haughty types who considers himself too good to eat treacle but I notice it always disappears pretty fast when I make it!

For the sponge:

4 oz softened butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tbls. sugar
2 eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tsp. milk
4 tbls. dark corn syrup

For the treacle sauce:

4 tbls. dark corn syrup
2 tbls. water
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon zest and fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk last.

Grease a bowl that holds approximately 3 cups and pour 4 tbls. of corn syrup over the bottom. Put the sponge mixture on top. Cover with a loose fitting piece of aluminum foil and place in a dish or pan in 1 inch of water. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the sponge has set and the top has turned a light golden color. Then turn the pudding onto a serving dish, being sure to scrape out all the syrup at the bottom of the bowl. Heat the remaining corn syrup, water and lemon juice in a double boiler approximately 5 minutes and pour it over the top of the pudding and serve. I don't care what anyone says, this is fit for a king!! :wave:
 
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