Light Pouding Chômeur

📝 Ingredients

• 150 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder (8 g)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 50 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 150 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 40 g unsalted butter (25 g melted for the batter, 5 g for the dish, 10 g for the syrup)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 130 g soft brown sugar
• 300 ml water

🍴 Utensils

• Ovenproof dish, about 20 × 20 cm
• Small saucepan
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Large spoon

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (170 °C fan). Grease the dish with 5 g butter: a square dish of about 20 × 20 cm or a 1.5 litre gratin dish, deep enough, as the syrup bubbles up during baking.
2. Melt 25 g butter over low heat in the small saucepan and leave to cool slightly. In the mixing bowl, whisk the egg and sugar for 1 minute, until slightly frothy, then add the melted butter, milk and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt, then whisk just until there are no more lumps. The batter should be thick enough to coat the spoon: don't overmix it, or the cake won't be as soft.
4. Pour the batter into the greased dish and spread it into an even layer with the back of the spoon. It looks thin, but that's normal: it will rise during baking and come up through the syrup.
5. In the same saucepan, put the brown sugar, water and the remaining 10 g butter. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved, then boil for 1 minute.
6. Pour the boiling syrup very gently over the batter, letting it run over the back of the large spoon so as not to make holes in it. Do not stir: as the batter rises, it comes up to the top and the syrup ends up underneath.
7. Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the cake part comes out dry. The syrup bubbles at the edges: slide a baking tray under the dish to protect the oven from spills.
8. Leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes out of the oven: the sauce at the bottom thickens and turns to caramel. Serve warm with a spoon, scooping both cake and sauce from the bottom of the dish each time.