Ingredients

• 150g butter, chopped
• 1/3 cup golden syrup
• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 over-ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 x 180g block white chocolate, chopped
• 3 small bananas, peeled, halved lengthways
• 300ml thickened cream, whipped, to serve

Caramel sauce

• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 1/2 cup pure cream, at room temperature

Method

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease a 5.5cm-deep, 21cm x 28cm ovenproof dish.
• Step 2 Melt butter and golden syrup together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.
• Step 3 Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl. Make a well. Whisk buttermilk, egg and mashed banana together in a separate bowl. Add to flour mixture with cooled butter mixture. Mix well to combine. Fold in chocolate. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Level top. Arrange halved banana, cut-side up, on top of mixture, pressing to secure. Bake for 1 hour or until pudding is just firm to touch (cover pudding loosely with foil if over-browning during cooking).

• Step 4 Meanwhile, make caramel sauce. Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, for 20 minutes or until mixture turns dark golden in colour. Remove from heat. Carefully stir in cream. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
• Step 5 Drizzle pudding with 1/2 the caramel sauce. Serve with remaining sauce and whipped cream.