Sticky gingerbread pudding

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 1.5-litre ovenproof baking dish (a 21-23cm round pie dish works well). Melt the remaining butter; set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, then add the sugar, baking powder, spices and salt; mix well to break up any clumps of sugar. In a separate jug or large bowl, use a balloon whisk to incorporate the egg, then whisk in the milk followed by the melted butter. Tip the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bring a kettle of water to the boil.

For the topping, in a jug mix the maple syrup, sugar and ginger with 250ml just-boiled water. Carefully pour all over the top of the batter. Bake for 35-45 minutes until set on top with sauce bubbling up at the edges. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream, if liked.