This was the recipe that spurred me into including a recipe section in my Family pages. Its a pure comfort food recipe that brings back memories of my sisters and me sitting around the dinner table always the same layout, Anne beside me, Mum opposite me and Ruth opposite Anne with Dad at the top (between me and Mum). I wonder if it is strange to want to record the way we sat at the table but, strange or not, it feels right to make that part of this recollection.
Peach pudding is essentially a sponge mixture poured on top of a tin of peaches and baked – but – whether accidentally or not I can’t remember, the main beauty of a peach pudding for me, was that it had to be only partially cooked. The centre of the sponge still had to be runny and, oh, my disappointment, if the sponge had been left too long and was cooked all the way through. I don’t recall anyone else being so desperate for the runny part and, in my memory, I would always get mine last so that the cooked parts were dished up first leaving me the runny centre.
I still make peach pudding and I still make sure its out of the oven before it’s cooked through and I’m sure if you asked my boys, they would know that the trick of the recipe is to undercook.
The reason peach pudding is here is because I found a booklet from the Townswomen Guild in one of Mum’s boxes. My Gran was one of the founding members of the TG so I wasn’t surprised to find her name under a few of the recipes. I was delighted however to find her recipe for peach pudding.
I sent a photo of this to Callum and, later, searching for a copy of the photo in our messages thread found a message he sent me in 2020 telling me that one of his friends had made peach pudding having seen Callum cook it on his instagram!
Looking at my Gran’s recipe its a little more involved that I make it. I remember Mum always buttered the dish and sprinkled in the demerara sugar to give a toffee like base rather than making a paste. We usually just poured the peach juice over the top rather than making a sauce using cornflour. Certainly don’t recall ever decorating the top with peach halves either – although thinking now – that would help me know if the sponge was cooked – if the peaches are sinking its perfect – if the peaches are perched prettily – you’ve waited too long 🤣
Jane’s Peach Pudding Recipe :
Separate a tin or 2 of peaches (sliced works best) from their juice (keep the juice for pouring over – although I usually forget that bit)
Put the drained peaches in a pyrex type dish.
Make a sponge using the equal quantities method (ie weigh the eggs and add the same amount each of butter/margarine, self raising flour and sugar). I usually make a 4/4/4/4 cake, 2 eggs (= 4 ounces), so 4 ounces each of butter/margarine, self raising flour and sugar. Beat all together and pour over the peaches. Bake at about 180 until NEARLY cooked through.
Craigachan 