Fruit Pudding

A steamed individual pudding built around a whole poached-soft peach, finished as a coated ball rather than served from the mould. The instructions assume a cake batter you already have in hand and a steamer set up on the stove.

• The batter is not specifiedNo formula or quantity is given; use any plain butter cake or pound cake batter, stiff enough to hold the fruit in place. One tablespoon goes under the fruit and enough over it to cover, so the total per mould is left to the cook.
• Moulds and filling levelButtered custard cups need to be deep enough to take a whole pared, pitted peach with batter under and over it. Fill no more than two-thirds; steamed batter climbs the sides and will push the lid off a covered cup.
• Steaming setupStand the cups on a rack in a covered pot with an inch of simmering water, and cover each cup with foil or buttered paper so condensation does not soak the top. Top up the water partway through.
• One hour is long for small cupsOne hour may be long depending on the mould -- Test with a skewer at the edge, away from the fruit; smaller cups can set well before the hour is up, while a mould large enough for a whole peach, or a dense batter, will want the full time.
• UnmouldingCooling completely in the cup makes the pudding easier to handle whole, which is the point here, but run a thin knife round the rim first. Left to go cold and damp for hours, the surface sticks.
• Marmalade as the glueWarm the marmalade slightly and thin it with a spoonful of water so it brushes on evenly; a thick cold jam drags the surface off the pudding. The nuts and coconut need to go on while it is still tacky.
• Coconut"Cocoanut" is the older spelling. Desiccated unsweetened coconut clings better than the sweetened flake sold for baking, which is wetter and clumps.
• YieldOne pudding per person; count on one whole peach and one cup each.