Steamed pudding (often called Christmas pudding) is a moist, dense, cake-like dessert that is cooked by steaming instead of baking. A British tradition that goes back hundreds of years, it can be sweet or savory (usually including some sort of meat) and is made by steaming a batter in a sealed container, which results in a tender texture and prevents a dry crust. Examples include Christmas pudding and sticky toffee pudding. These treats are often served with custard sauces.

While not made as much today, steamed puddings were a favorite holiday-feast tradition back in the day. Steamed puddings were usually made with fruit and contained less flour than a cake. They’re not a pudding like you may think of chocolate pudding or a really custard type pudding.

Preparation: A batter, often made with ingredients like flour, suet, or breadcrumbs, is placed in a heat-proof bowl or “pudding basin”.

Cooking method: The covered basin is placed in a pot of simmering water. The steam cooks the pudding, creating a consistent and gentle heat.

Result: The finished product is a very moist and rich dessert that differs significantly from a baked cake.

Serving: They are often served warm, sometimes with a sauce like custard, caramel, or a hard sauce made of brown sugar.

Typical steamed pudding recipes call for some sort of alcohol—usually brandy. And it was necessary to wait four to six weeks before it could be eaten. Archived journal entries say the wait was “unbearable, making the day-of-indulgence all the sweeter!”

If the idea of adding a traditional steamed pudding to your holiday dessert table appeals to you, here’s a Christmas pudding with a brown sugar sauce. And there’s a nice bonus with this one—no alcohol! No sitting on the shelf for weeks to age here, my friends.

You can make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it until you’re ready to serve. You can also make the batter up to two weeks ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to continue.

If you wish to freeze the pudding, allow the steamed pudding in its bowl to cool completely. Wrap well with plastic wrap and a layer of tinfoil and freeze for three months. Pudding can freeze for up to a year, but it’ll have the best flavor if reheated within three months.

Thaw the frozen pudding in the refrigerator overnight and then steam until heated through. Properly wrapped puddings survive in the freezer for up to a year.

This recipe comes to us from Melissa Norris, (www.melissaknorris.com). It’s a gem, and we thank her for helping us bring back the tradition!

Traditional Christmas (Steamed) Pudding

Ingredients:

PUDDING
3/4 cup butter softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups raisins
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup uncooked potatoes peeled and grated
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
BROWN SUGAR SAUCE
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

PUDDING: Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in raisins, carrot, potato and egg and stir until combined. Stir in flour and baking soda.

Grease two small glass bowls or one large bowl and fill with pudding, leaving about an inch between the top of the pudding and the top of the bowl to give it room to rise.
Cover the bowl with parchment paper or an upside-down plate, then wrap with plastic wrap in a double layer, sealing tightly to keep excess moisture out.

Pour two cups of water into the insert of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet in the insert, and put the uncovered bowl of pudding on the trivet. Pro Tip: Create a foil sling to easily pull out the pudding from inside the Instant Pot. Cover with the lid and leave the sealing valve open so it can vent. Press the Saute function.

Once the cooker starts to steam, press the “Adjust” button, which allows you to change the Saute setting to low. Steam the pudding on low for 15 minutes.

After steaming, seal the release valve of the Instant Pot and press “Cancel.” Then select “Pressure Cook” and set it to cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

Once the cycle is complete, let naturally release for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Carefully lift the pudding out of the Instant Pot using the foil sling (be careful; the sides of the pot will still be hot).

Remove the plastic wrap and plate and run a knife around the top edge to help the pudding release from the sides of the bowl before inverting on a plate. Serve hot with brown sugar sauce and enjoy (directions for sauce below)!

BROWN SUGAR SAUCE: Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in brown sugar and continue to stir constantly until boiling. Boil for two minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in milk and vanilla. Return to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture once again comes to a boil. Thin with more milk or cream if necessary. Serve warm.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.