Upside down lemon, maple and vanilla pudding with lemon maple butter

Preheat the oven to 170ºC fan.
Line a baking dish about 30 cm x 20 cm in size with a piece of baking parchment large enough to cover the base and sides, with enough overhang to fold over the pudding as well.

Put 120 ml of maple syrup and the scraped out vanilla pod in the base of your prepared baking dish. Top with the charred lemon slices, spreading out of so they cover the entire base, overlapping in place.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, softened butter, eggs, vanilla seeds, brown sugar, milk and the remaining 3 tbsp maple syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment in place. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined.

The mixture will look as if it’s split a little with some smaller cubes of butter - but that’s ok.

Gently smooth over the mixture with the back of the spoon or spatula. Fold over the excess baking parchment to cover, then wrap the dish tightly in foil.

Toward the last 10 minutes of cooking, make the lemon maple butter.
Put the lemon juice and maple syrup into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on a medium high heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn the heat down to low and, when no longer simmering, gradually add the butter cubes a little at a time, whisking with each addition until incorporated.

Don’t let the mixture boil at all - you should be left with an emulsified sauce. Remove from the heat.

Enjoy…