Ginger Steamed Pudding

So I don’t make a lot of steamed puddings, because most folks think that steaming is an odd way to “bake” a dessert! I really like steamed puddings but they do take some extra time. They are easy to put together, because you add everything to a mixing bowl and stir, so the time is just in the steaming. It’s not a dessert that you want to make on a hot day, as the steaming pot will make your house warm and fairly humid!

This is a holiday-appropriate recipe, but ginger is good any time of the year. It uses stem ginger preserved in syrup, which is a hard to find ingredient. Honestly, it is more for decoration than anything, so if you want to skip that step you can. It does make it look nice, but the ginger is quite intense and I didn’t eat the pieces on my serving. As much as I love ginger, you can have too much!

Our pudding basin holds about 2 cups and this makes twice as much batter as you really need. We’ve yet to find a larger pudding basin, and this size works fairly well for just a couple of people. We made this for a holiday gathering, and it was perfect as we could make it ahead and allow it to steam during the evening when we chatting. If you’ve never tried a steamed pudding, I encourage you to give one a try. I think you’ll really like it! (Sorry, not a very good photo. I took it with my phone.)

Ginger Steamed Pudding

6 chunks stem ginger (in syrup)

2 tablespoons golden syrup or honey

175 (6 ounces) grams butter

120 grams (4-1/4 ounces) brown sugar

1 inch piece ginger

3 eggs

2 tablespoons dark treacle or molasses

Zest of 1 orange

175 grams (6 ounces) self-rising flour*

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon allspice

Custard, for serving

Butter a medium sized pudding basin. Thinly slice the stem ginger and layer over the base of the pudding basin so that the pieces resemble the petals of a flower.  Pour the golden syrup over the pieces of stem ginger.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar and beat on medium until combined. Grate the ginger and add juice to the butter mixture; discard the ginger pulp. Add the eggs, treacle, and orange zest and stir to combine. Add the flour, ginger, and allspice and stir on low until the flour is incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the pudding basin; you may have too much batter depending on the size of your pudding basin. Cover the basin with a circle of parchment paper and then cover with foil. Tie these with a string (or use a rubber band) to secure.

Place the pudding in a large pot fitted with a steaming insert. Bring water to a boil in the large pot, ensuring that the pudding basin does not touch the water. Steam the pudding for 2-1/2 hours, adding more boiling water to the pot if needed.

Allow the pudding to cool for 10 minutes before inverting to a serving plate. Serve with custard, if desired.

Recipe from Olive Magazine, December 2013

*I made my own self-rising flour by combining 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt