Ginger pear pudding with golden syrup caramel

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This ginger pear self saucing pudding is the ultimate cosy winter dessert. Soft, fluffy cake studded with sweet pear is baked in a rich golden syrup sauce infused with warming ginger. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and plenty of sauce spooned over the top for a nostalgic dessert everyone will love.

This pudding is destined to become your new winter favourite. It's wonderfully easy to make, generously saucy, and completely irresistible.

Every spoonful is packed with tender diced pear, making it the perfect cross between a comforting crumble and a rich self-saucing pudding. And the caramel sauce? We don't do stingy around here. There's plenty of it, creating the most luscious, buttery sauce that soaks into every bite.

It's the kind of dessert that feels effortlessly impressive—a recipe your guests will be talking about long after the bowls are empty. Sometimes the simplest desserts really are the most memorable.

What's in this recipe?

Ginger pear dumplings

• Flour
  Flour forms the structure of the pudding, creating a soft and fluffy texture once baked.

• Baking powder & baking soda
  These raising agents help the pudding rise and become light and tender.

• Brown sugar
  Brown sugar adds sweetness while contributing subtle caramel notes and helping keep the pudding moist.

• Ground ginger
  Ground ginger infuses the pudding with gentle warmth and spice, complementing the pear perfectly.

• Cinnamon
  A touch of cinnamon adds extra warmth and spice, making the pudding even more comforting and delicious.

• Butter
  Cold butter binds the ingredients together and adds a rich, buttery flavour. It also helps create a soft, tender crumb.

• Pears

  Finely diced pear is scattered throughout the pudding, adding little pockets of sweetness and moisture. The flavour is subtle but perfectly complements the ginger and caramel sauce.

• Milk

  Milk provides the liquid needed to bring the batter together while adding richness and helping keep the pudding soft and moist.

• Vanilla extract

  Vanilla enhances the caramel flavours and adds a lovely warmth to the pudding.

Golden syrup caramel

• Golden syrup
  The star ingredient in the sauce, golden syrup provides a rich butterscotch flavour and nostalgic sweetness. Its caramel notes pair beautifully with the warming ginger and juicy pear pudding.

• Brown sugar

  Brown sugar adds depth, richness and a beautiful caramel colour to the sauce. It helps create a fuller, more complex flavour than white sugar alone.

• Butter

  Butter adds richness and creates a silky, luscious sauce. It rounds out the sweetness and gives the caramel its luxurious mouthfeel.

• Fresh ginger

  Fresh ginger brings a bright, warming spice that makes the ginger flavour truly shine. Leave it out if preferred, but it adds a wonderful depth to the finished dessert.

• Boiling water

  Boiling water dissolves the sugars and creates the base of the sauce. It provides the perfect amount of moisture for a rich, spoonable caramel.

• Vanilla extract

  A splash of vanilla rounds out the flavours and enhances the caramel notes in the sauce.

• Salt

  Just a pinch of salt balances the sweetness and brings all of the flavours together.

Step-by-step photos

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Rubbing butter into dry ingredients

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Butter rubbed in

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Adding wet ingredients to form a batter

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Spreading batter into dish

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Mixing up sauce

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Pouring sauce over pudding

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Ginger pear dumplings with golden syrup caramel

Yield 8-10

Author Bea Fawkes

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Total time

50 Min

These ginger pear dumplings are the ultimate cosy winter dessert. Soft, fluffy dumplings studded with sweet pear are baked in a rich golden syrup sauce infused with warming ginger. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and plenty of sauce spooned over the top for a nostalgic dessert everyone will love.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Ginger pear dumplings

• 300g plain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 100g brown sugar
• 2½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 125g cold butter, cubed
• 2 medium pears (about 300g), peeled and finely diced
• 250ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Golden syrup sauce

• 250g golden syrup
• 180g brown sugar
• 75g butter
• 1–2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 900ml boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Instructions

Ginger pear dumplings

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Grease a large baking dish (approximately 33 x 23cm).
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, ground ginger and cinnamon. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Stir through the diced pear. Add the milk and vanilla and gently mix until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
4. Drop large spoonfuls of dough evenly into the baking dish.

Golden syrup caramel

1. For the sauce, place the golden syrup, brown sugar, butter, fresh ginger, vanilla and salt into a heatproof jug or bowl. Pour over the boiling water and whisk until combined.
2. Carefully pour the hot sauce around the dumplings. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the dumplings are puffed, golden and cooked through.
3. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon the dumplings into bowls and generously ladle over the warm golden syrup sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Serving suggestion:

• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, thick cream or custard.
• Spoon plenty of the golden syrup sauce over each serving.
• Best enjoyed fresh from the oven while the dumplings are soft and fluffy.

Storage:

• Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat individual portions in the microwave until warmed through.
• The sauce will thicken when chilled but will loosen again upon reheating.
• Not suitable for freezing, as the dumplings may become soggy when thawed.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

601

Fat

22 g

Sat. Fat

14 g

Carbs

98 g

Fiber

3 g

Net carbs

95 g

Sugar

65 g

Protein

5 g

Sodium

517 mg

Cholesterol

58 mg

Behind the scenes…

Recipe testing while the toddler naps…