The Italians have a phrase: ‘brutti ma buoni’. It means ‘ugly but beautiful’, and it’s the name they give to their nubbly hazelnut meringue biscuits, which – as the name suggests – taste lovely but aren’t lookers. The phrase came to me the other day when I lifted the lid on my pan of golden syrup dumplings. Because they’re ugly little buggers. They look a little like soggy apple fritters, or even chicken nuggets – am I selling them to you yet? But focus on the buoni, not the brutti: they are absolutely delicious.
Golden syrup dumplings sound as British as queueing. And when you learn they’re essentially scone dough, bathed in lots and lots of golden syrup until plump and cooked, it’s hard to believe they weren’t dreamed up on a particularly grey afternoon on a Yorkshire hill farm. The metallic tang of golden syrup immediately summons up the distinctive green and gold tins of Tate & Lyle, produced in Plaistow, east London since 1885. Surely these must be a British invention?
Well, no, not at all. Golden syrup dumplings are a classic Australian dish, and a beloved one at that. In fact, golden syrup – likely imported from America or the West Indies – was mentioned in the South Australian Register 45 years before Tate & Lyle started marketing theirs commercially. In Australia it was known as ‘cocky’s joy’ or ‘cocky’s delight’ as the tins of syrup were small and portable, so became a favourite of cockies, or small farmers.
Despite our shared love of the syrup, this old-fashioned Australian comfort food isn’t really known here. We don’t much go in for sweet dumplings – which, given our predilection for them in a savoury guise, seems mad. There are cobblers of course, which use a similar dough, but they’re baked in the oven, so they become crisp, and piled on top of fruit. Then there’s the clootie dumpling, which is an entirely different beast – one single huge beast in fact, and a lot like a Christmas pudding – steamed in a cloth. But syrup dumplings actually have far more in common with the sort of dumplings in a mince-and-dumplings scenario, only imbued with syrup instead of gravy. They’re also redolent of some favourite British desserts: syrup sponge, suet puddings, treacle tarts. They may not be ours, but they speak our language.
They’re fantastically easy to make. You make a soft scone mixture, unflavoured and unsweetened, and a very thin golden syrup-infused sugar stock, then drop teaspoons of the mixture into the stock. A wet hand to encourage the batter to fall from the spoon will result in more even dollops, but dollops they will still be. Clamping a lid on the pan means the dumplings cook in the steam, and as they cook, they suck up the syrup. They also inflate and expand in all directions, becoming, if possible, more wayward than before. Meanwhile, the syrup reduces, creating a thick, sticky sauce which can (and should) be generously spooned over the served dumplings. Don’t be tempted to decrease the sugar, as you’ll end up with an insipid sweet soup rather than the sticky, thick, pourable syrup the dish needs.
They’re redolent of some of our favourite British desserts: syrup sponge, suet puddings, treacle tarts
If you’re not sure about sugar, look away now. In fact, if you’re on the fence about desserts, more a sliver-of-cheese person, then this is not the pudding for you. Golden syrup dumplings are unabashedly, outrageously sweet. There is absolutely no subtlety here, but there is extreme comfort: soft, pillowy clouds with sticky exteriors and a glossy golden sauce. And boy, will that stuff light a fire within you. When I’ve eaten golden syrup dumplings I feel I could lead a revolution or fight a bear. Well, for 15 minutes, until I have to lie down for two hours.
Serves 4 Takes 10 mins Cooks 20 mins
For the dumplings
- 125g self-raising flour
- 50g butter
- 1 egg
- 50ml milk
- Pinch of salt
For the sauce
- 100ml golden syrup
- 300g light brown sugar
- 50g butter
- 400ml water
- Pinch of salt
- First, make the dumpling mixture. In a bowl, stir together the flour and salt, then rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Stir the egg in, using a knife, then add the milk, mixing until you have a soft dough.
- Put all the sauce ingredients in a shallow, wide-based frying pan with a lid and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to a lowish simmer.
- Using a teaspoon, drop walnut-sized dollops of the scone mixture gently into the syrup. Cover the pan with the lid, and cook for ten minutes.
- Remove the lid and carefully turn each dumpling over using a spoon. Replace the lid and cook for another ten minutes.
- Serve the dumplings immediately, with the syrup from the pan spooned over the top, along with cream, thick cold custard or vanilla ice cream.
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