Slow Cooker Syrup Sponge

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Slow cooker syrup sponge pudding is a light and delicious steamed sponge pudding with lashings of golden syrup. The old school dessert of your dreams! So easy, so sumptuous.

Treacle sponge pudding on a white serving plate, jug of custard and bowls behind.

Golden syrup drizzles over the sides of the soft sponge pudding after you invert this beauty onto a plate.

Whether you know it as a treacle sponge or a syrup sponge pudding, eating this is sure to bring back memories of childhood and school puddings with lots of custard.

Enjoyed mainly during the colder parts of the year, a bowlful is bound to warm you up.

This recipe was inspired by my slow cooker steamed pudding recipe, which has a delicious spiced cranberry compote. Here I have gone for the traditional syrup topping we all love.

Bowl of sponge pudding with custard, treacle sponge pudding behind on serving plate.

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Why make this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Equipment
Storage
FAQ
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Why make this recipe

✔️ Comforting and warming

✔️ Brings back memories of childhood and school days

✔️ Steaming a sponge pudding in the slow cooker has exactly the same results as steaming in a saucepan but is so much easier!

✔️ No need to top up the water levels because the water won’t evaporate from the slow cooker, it forms condensation on the lid and drips back in.

✔️ Delicious with custard

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. You’ll find the quantities together with the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

golden syrup – (also known as light treacle) golden syrup provides its sweet and rich caramelised flavour, as well as a gorgeous amber colour. If you are not based in the UK, try to obtain golden syrup from your local British shop, for best results it is best not to substitute this ingredient.
caster sugar – for the sponge mixture, for sweetness, feel free to use granulated sugar if you have no caster sugar.
self-raising flour – again, this ingredient is for the sponge cake mixture. If you only have plain flour you can use it in place of self-raising, by adding 1.75 teaspoons of baking powder.
butter – provides richness to the sponge cake mixture.
eggs – for the sponge cake mixture.
milk – (not shown) I like to add a few teaspoons of milk to loosen the sponge mixture.

Instructions

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this slow cooker syrup sponge recipe perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Sponge pudding mixture in a glass mixing bowl.

Weigh out the softened butter, caster sugar, flour, eggs and milk in a bowl and beat well until smooth, using a hand mixer or wooden spoon.

Greased pudding bowl with golden syrup in the base.

Grease a pudding bowl with a little butter, then pour the golden syrup into the base of the bowl.

Spoon the sponge mixture on top of the golden syrup and smooth the top.

Pudding bowl with sponge mixture covered tightly with clingfilm.

Use clingfilm to seal the pudding bowl.

Pudding bowl in two inches of boiling water in slow cooker pot, ready to steam.

Get your slow cooker ready. Note: I use my large 5.7 litre Crockpot for this recipe, as I can get a 1 litre pudding bowl in there with plenty of free space. A 6.5 litre slow cooker would also work well.
Boil a kettle and pour the boiling water (two to three inches deep) into the slow cooker ceramic pot.
Place the pudding bowl, covered with clingfilm, into the water.

Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2.5 hours, or until the pudding has risen in the bowl and the top centre of it looks firm. Peel back the clingfilm and check with a skewer or cake tester to ensure it is fully cooked through.

Steamed syrup sponge pudding on a white serving plate.

Invert the pudding onto a plate carefully, using oven gloves. Portion into bowls, drizzling with more golden syrup if you like, to serve. Serve warm with custard or cream.

Equipment

I use a 1 litre ceramic pudding bowl to make this recipe.

If you don’t have one you can use a Pyrex bowl instead, but just be aware that Pyrex bowls are often wider and shallower than a pudding bowl so your sponge pudding will probably be wider and flatter if you use a Pyrex bowl, and not as tall and deep.

Syrup sponge pudding with a portion taken out on a white plate.

Storage

Store the cooked syrup sponge in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days, if you don’t eat it all before then that is!

Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave – portion into a bowl and microwave for one minute to 90 seconds on high.

FAQ

Can you reheat syrup sponge pudding?

Yes, often we reheat portions of the pudding over the next couple of days to enjoy for dessert. I tend to microwave bowlfuls on high for one minute to 90 seconds and then leave to cool slightly before serving.

How long does sponge pudding last in the fridge?

Keep leftovers for up to three days in the fridge, covered.

What is the difference between sponge cake and sponge pudding?

While the basic ingredients of both sponge cake and sponge pudding are the same (caster sugar, self-raising flour, butter, eggs), they differ in the method of cooking and the cooking utensil. Sponge cake is baked in the oven in a cake tin, while sponge pudding is steamed in a pudding bowl over water. Sponge cake is usually served cold, with a jam filling, and sponge pudding is usually served warm with custard or cream.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these. Slow cooker desserts are my thing and I have scores of them for you to try, as well as loads of mains.

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