A lemon softens slowly in a generous mound of butter and sugar that melts to a golden pool of sweet lemon sauce, all encased in a simple dough, making one truly delicious family pudding. Serve a little of the lemon with each portion if wished.

Ingredients

• Crust
• 3 cups self-raising flour
• 175 grams butter, chilled and diced or grated
• about ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• Filling
• 1 cup demerara sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 250 grams butter, chilled and grated
• 1 lemon, well-washed

Method

1. Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients. Place an upturned saucer into the base of the slow cooker. Generously grease an 8-cup capacity pudding bowl.
2. Sift the flour into a second bowl. Rub in the butter until this mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Make a well in the cetnre. Beat the milk and egg together and pour into the well. Mix together with a knife to make a firm, scone-like dough. Add more milk if required.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and bring together. Roll out to a large 30-cm circle. Cut a quarter of the dough out in a wedge-shaped piece and set aside.
4. Press the larger piece into the prepared pudding basin, pressing the cut edges firmly together.
5. Rub the sugar and vanilla essence together and toss with the butter. Place half the sugar and butter mixture into the dough-lined bowl.
6. Prick the lemon all over with a fork and sit it in the sugar and butter mixture. Scatter the remaining sugar and butter around and on top of the lemon.
7. Gently re-knead the remaining piece of dough, rolling it out to a circle shape wide enough to cover the top of the pudding. Roll over the top and press the edges together to seal, firmly enclosing the filling.
8. Lightly grease one sheet of baking paper and make a pleat across the centre. This will allow space for the pudding to rise. Place on top of the pudding bowl and secure with string. Make a pleat in a piece of foil and place on top of the baking paper. Secure with string.
9. Sit the basin on top of the saucer in the slow cooker. Pour sufficient boiling water into the slow cooker until it comes three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pudding basin.
10. Cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours.
11. Carefully remove the pudding basin from the slow cooker and remove the foil and baking paper. Turn upside down onto a serving plate. (The centre will drop in - don't panic). Dust liberally with icing sugar before serving with custard cream.

Cooks Tips

- Demerara sugar takes its name from Demerara in Guyana where sugar cane was grown in the early days of the sugar trade. It is a light brown sugar with a firm crystal.

- If possible, use a thin-skinned lemon such as Villa Franca or Meyer.