Possible Cooking Methods: Stovetop Pressure Cooker Slow Cooker
A steamed pudding is simply a rich cake batter made in a pudding basin or bowl and cooked in a bain marie, or water bath. The result is a moist but crumbly cake that is delicious just served with a little whipped cream. Traditionally, self-rising flour is used in a steamed pudding and this recipe follows that tradition. If you can’t find self-rising flour (although it is very common in grocery stores these days), you can substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1½ teaspoons of baking powder. I put half the mixed berry mixture in the bottom of the pudding basin and swirl the remaining half into the batter because I like the way that looks in the end, with a mass of berries on top and beautiful deep purple swirls in the white cake. You could choose to do the same, or swirl the entire berry mix into the batter instead. Feel free to use a single berry, rather than a berry mix. It’s your pudding!
1 cup frozen berry mix
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-rising flour
4 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
heavy cream, for whipping
Stovetop Directions
Serves:4
Cooking Time:1½ hours
1. Combine the berries and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor and pulse into a chunky mixture. Transfer half of this mixture to the bottom of a buttered 1- to 1½-quart round pudding bowl (or any round oven-safe bowl that will fit into your large stockpot or Dutch oven). Reserve the remaining berry mixture.
2. Wash the food processor bowl. Place the butter and ½ cup of sugar in the food processor and process until light and fluffy (you will need to scrape down the bowl several times). Add the eggs one at a time and continue to process. Add the flour, milk and vanilla extract and pulse into the egg mixture until no more streaks of white are visible. Add the remaining berry mixture to the processor and pulse only two or three times to create a swirl of berries in the white pudding batter. Transfer this batter to the pudding bowl on top of the berry mixture. Cover the pudding bowl with parchment paper and then aluminum foil, tightly tying the two around the bowl with kitchen twine.
3. Boil a kettle full of water. Place a small rack in the bottom of a large stockpot. Place the bowl on the rack and add enough boiling water to the stockpot to come halfway up the side of the bowl. Return the water to a boil over high heat. Once at a boil, lower the heat to a strong simmer, cover the stockpot and steam the pudding for 1½ hours. The pudding is done when a skewer inserted into the middle of the pudding (poked through the aluminum foil) comes out clean.
4. Transfer the pudding bowl to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream on the side.
Additional Cooking Directions for
Pressure Cooker Directions
Serves:4
Cooking Time:40 minutes
1. Combine the berries and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor and pulse into a chunky mixture. Transfer half of this mixture to the bottom of a buttered 1- to 1½-quart round pudding bowl (or any round oven-safe bowl that will fit into your cooker). Reserve the remaining berry mixture.
2. Wash the food processor bowl. Place the butter and ½ cup of sugar in the food processor and process until light and fluffy (you will need to scrape down the bowl several times). Add the eggs one at a time and continue to process. Add the flour, milk and vanilla extract and pulse into the egg mixture until no more streaks of white are visible. Add the remaining berry mixture to the processor and pulse only two or three times to create a swirl of berries in the white pudding batter. Transfer this batter to the pudding bowl on top of the berry mixture. Cover the pudding bowl with parchment paper and then aluminum foil, tightly tying the two around the bowl with kitchen twine.
3. Boil a kettle full of water. Place a small rack in the bottom of a 6-quart pressure cooker. Place the bowl on the rack and add enough boiling water to the cooker to come halfway up the side of the bowl. Cover the cooker with a regular glass lid (or leave the pressure valve open on your pressure cooker lid) and steam the pudding for 20 minutes (with steam escaping from the valve). Then, close the pressure lid valve and pressure cook on HIGH for another 20 minutes.
4. Let the pressure drop NATURALLY and carefully remove the lid. The pudding is done when a skewer inserted into the middle of the pudding (poked through the aluminum foil) comes out clean.
5. Transfer the pudding bowl to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream on the side.
Slow Cooker Directions
Serves:4
Cooking Time:5 hours on HIGH
1. Combine the berries and sugar in a food processor and pulse into a chunky mixture. Transfer half of this mixture to the bottom of a buttered 1- to 1½-quart round pudding bowl (or any round oven-safe bowl that will fit into your slow cooker). Reserve the remaining berry mixture.
2. Wash the food processor bowl. Place the butter and sugar in the food processor and process until light and fluffy (you will need to scrape down the bowl several times). Add the eggs one at a time and continue to process. Add the flour, milk and vanilla extract and pulse into the egg mixture until no more streaks of white are visible. Add the remaining berry mixture to the processor and pulse only two or three times to create a swirl of berries in the white pudding batter. Transfer this batter to the pudding bowl on top of the berry mixture. Cover the pudding bowl with parchment paper and then aluminum foil, tightly tying the two around the bowl with kitchen twine.
3. Boil a kettle full of water. Place a small rack in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the bowl on the rack and add enough boiling water to the cooker to come halfway up the side of the bowl. Cover and slow cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
4. The pudding is done when a skewer inserted into the middle of the pudding (poked through the aluminum foil) comes out clean.
5. Transfer the pudding bowl to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream on the side.