Banana Butterscotch Pudding

I know I should be making mince pies and shortbreads. I know I should be out shopping, shopping, shopping for more and more Christmas gifts. I know I should be finishing the Christmas bunting I started making a week ago. But I'm not. I'm mashing bananas and making butterscotch.

The lights are up and the tinsel's out and I'm not knee-deep in Christmas spices (yet)! Unheard of for me this close to Christmas.

It's all because of  these little devils. Bananas. That's right, bananannanas.

Up until about two weeks ago bananas were strictly for the privileged. Unattainable for the every-man. A week's wages went on buying a kilo of bananas. Is there such a thing as a-week's-wages any more? Probably not, but you know what I mean.

But now they are available to all. Santa certainly pulled that one out of his sack just in the St. Nick of time.

Banana and Butterscotch Pudding
from Bill Granger's Simply Bill

For the Sponge:
125g plain flour
pinch of salt
115g caster sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 banana, mashed
250ml milk
85g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:
140g soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons golden syrup

To serve:
Vanilla ice cream or thick cream

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the banana, milk, butter, egg and vanilla and whisk until fully incorporated. Pour into a greased, 2 litre capacity baking dish  and put the dish on a baking tray.

To make the topping, put the brown sugar, golden syrup and 250 of boiling water into a small pan and bring to boil. Pour carefully over the pudding. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer. Serve with vanilla ice cream or thick cream.

Now that I have my banana fix out of the way, I figure I still have time to get on with my Christmas baking and to-do list - about a week and a half! Oh boy - it's all your fault Santa.