Creamy summer pudding with sponge fingers recipe

This delicious creamy summer pudding with sponge fingers gives your favourite summer dessert a little twist. This recipe takes 40 mins to prepare and cook and serves 10 people - the perfect dessert when you've got friends and family over for dinner. The tasty filling hiding in this sponge finger covered pudding includes mixed berries as well as a whipped cream, vanilla infused filling. This is a fab twist on the traditional summer pud and it’s ready in no time. Brought to you by Essentials magazine.

Ingredients

• 250g fresh summer fruits (mixed raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and redcurrants)
• 50g caster sugar
• 5tbsp Amaretto
• 150g (approx 20) sponge fingers

For the filling:

• 250g mascarpone
• 25g icing sugar
• 200ml whipping cream
• 2tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Method

1. Put half the fruit into a pan with the sugar, Amaretto and 2tbsp water, stir to combine, then heat gently for 2-3 mins until the sugar dissolves and the fruit starts to release its juices.
2. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and set aside. Line an 850ml pudding basin with clingfilm (see our tip). Dip the sponge fingers one by one into the fruit juice, arrange about 16 around the edge of the basin so there are no gaps, and squash 2 or 3 into the base (again no gaps). Chill any spare juice in the fridge for serving.
3. Beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar. Beat the whipping cream until thick, then combine with the mascarpone and vanilla. Fold in the cooked fruit and spoon the mixture into the basin. Cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to serve.
4. To serve, turn the pudding out onto a plate, garnish the top with the fresh fruit and pour over the reserved juice.