Begin by making the cake base. preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Cream together the butter and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (with whisk attachment) till light and foamy.

Add the apricot jam and beat till well incorporated. meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. set aside.

Add the baking soda to the milk and stir. set aside.

When the butter and jam mixture is well combined, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in one third of the flour.

Add half the milk mixture and stir well, making sure there are no lumps.

Follow it with another third of the flour, folding well to incorporate. lastly add the remaining milk and flour and fold through.

Pour the batter into an ungreased brownie tin (make sure you use a dish large enough to accomodate the batter because it DOES rise considerably while baking. ideally use a 9"x 13" size).

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes (depending on your oven) till the base rises and becomes a deep golden brown on top, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the base is baking, prepare the syrup.

Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir well till the butter is melted and sugar is fully dissolved. the mixture should reach a syrup like consistency, without coming to a full boil.

When the base is cooked, take it out of the oven and using the skewer poke holes all over it (so that the syrup soaks through well). pour the warm syrup over the base and let it sit for about 10 minutes, till its fully absorbed.

Serve it warm, topped with cold vanilla custard.

Note 1: this dessert is quite rich and filling, so serve it in small portions. (people can get quite high on all that sugar and cream). Also, this dish is NOT for those on a diet (or not able to handle a guilty conscience). :P

Note 2: the brandy is optional, and you can just as well make an alcohol free version of it (like i did).Totally fine! OR substitute the brandy for an equal quantity (or more!) of baileys irish cream.

Note 3: if you like your pudding more syrupy, go on ahead and double the syrup quantities. the base will soak it all up; the pudding will not turn out a soggy mess.

Note 4: another option is to make the syrup out of 1 stick of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of boiling water and 2 cups of amarula (a south african liqueur).