Vegan Self-Saucing Puddings (yummy desserts!)

Self-saucing puddings, what are they, we hear you say? They are quite the charm, kind of like the old puddings you had at school (with chocolate or pink custard). You basically bake a ‘cake’, but when you put your dessert spoon in, an oozing yummy liquid comes out of the middle. And they are surprisingly simple to make.

This Easy Self-Saucing Pudding (Rainbow Nourishments) is a great way to try a simple version of this popular dessert. It’s full of fruit too, so kind of healthy!

Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (vanilla, nutmeg, citrus and chocolate are unsafe near animal friends). Bin citrus scraps, as acids may harm compost creatures (same with rhubarb, tomato and alliums – onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives). It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).

For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch top opening closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

How self-saucing puddings work

They are basically a sponge batter, but you then pour hot liquid on top, before baking. But instead of ruining the sponge, the batter lifts and bakes. While the liquid melts and sinks into a thick sauce underneath. Gravity pulls the sauce down, and baking pushes the sponge up!

For runny self-saucing pudding, bake for 5 minutes longer. If you get no sauce, your liquid wasn’t hot enough. If the sponge is too dry, you baked it too long. Check earlier next time!

Gingerbread self-saucing pudding recipe

Gingerbread Self-Saucing Pudding (Quite Good Food) contains iron-rich molasses. The creator says that this recipe is ideal food for ‘binge-watching TV in your favourite stretchy pants!

Banana Self-Saucing Pudding Cake

This banana self-saucing pudding (Full of Plants) is a wonderful way to use up ripe sweet bananas. It’s sweetened with caramel sauce made from coconut sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

Try to buy bananas from farmers’ markets or farm shops, as they are usually sea-freighted in and with no plastic packaging. The reason supermarkets sell organic bananas in plastic packaging is to avoid contamination. Hence why Fair Trade are not in plastic, but not always organic.

You could always be cheeky and buy the organic bananas. And just leave the packaging at the till (or in supermarket bag bins on our way out).