Roly-poly custard swirls recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

Traditionally, jam roly-poly is steamed as a log (earning it the nickname of dead man’s leg!). We’ve sliced it into pretty swirls before baking in a bath of custard

Tamsin Burnett-Hall

Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking

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Ingredients

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Step by step

1. Combine the flour, sugar, custard powder, salt and suet in a mixing bowl then add the vanilla and gradually mix in the milk until you have a soft but not sticky dough.
2. Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough to 25cm x 30cm. If the jam isn’t very spreadable, warm it slightly (but don’t let it get too hot or it will melt the suet) then spread over the pastry, leaving a 3-4cm border at one short end. Roll up tightly from the opposite short end and pinch the seam closed. Transfer to a well-floured sheet of baking paper and wrap, twisting the ends like a cracker. Chill for 1 hour in the fridge, or for 30 minutes in the freezer to firm up.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and butter a baking dish (about 20cm x 28cm). Unwrap the dough and cut into 6 thick slices. Place in the dish, leaving room for them to spread. Cover the dish with buttered foil and bake for 30 minutes initially.
4. For the sauce, combine the custard powder and sugar, and whisk in a little of the milk to make a paste, then gradually whisk in the rest of the milk. When the swirls have baked for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and pour the custard mixture in around them. Re-cover and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil for a final 8-10 minutes to crisp up the swirls.
5. Warm the extra 50g of jam and drizzle over the pudding. Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving, so that the jam in the swirls isn’t dangerously hot.