Full question
I made the Forgotten Pudding at the weekend. Used a conventional oven rather than fan after reading reviews. Heated oven thoroughly before making and left in overnight. Still did not feel it was cooked properly as it was very soft and malleable. Certainly could not have cut and stacked as shown in picture. Family said flavour was OK but to my mind it just looked like an inferior pavlova. What went wrong?
Our answer
Nigella's Forgotten Pudding (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) is a dessert made with a meringue mixture that is left to set in a cooling oven. The texture of the pudding is different to a pavlova in that it does not have such a crisp crust and the centre is soft and very marshmallowy, so may be different to initial expectations.
If the Forgotten Pudding is letting out some syrup or is very sticky then there could be a couple of reasons. If it is very humid or wet weather then this will make the meringue more sticky as sugar is hygroscopic and will attract moisture from the air. Unfortunately in these conditions it can be difficult to make the pudding easily. If the meringue has some syrup seeping out then it is more likely that the sugar was not dissolved properly in the egg white before baking. Rub a little of the whisked egg white and sugar mixture between your finger and thumb and make sure it feels smooth, with no grains of sugar left. If the mixture feels grainy then whisk it for an extra minute or so, until it feels smooth.
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