A&M: If you crossed sticky toffee pudding with pancakes and maple syrup, you would get chômeur, a buttery biscuit submerged in a bath of maple syrup and cream. Pudding Chômeur, a traditional cake from Québec, takes no time to prepare: you mix the dough in 10 minutes and refrigerate it, and then the next day, you drop it into ramekins, pour over the syrup and cream, and pop it into a very hot—450°F—oven. As the syrup mixture boils, it poaches and glazes the biscuit. This makes it both a great no-stress dinner party dessert and fun baking project to do with your kids. The recipe calls for 6 ramekins. The pudding is so rich you might want to make it in 10 to 12 small ramekins, baked for slightly less time, about 20 minutes. The batter should half-fill the ramekins, and the syrup should come no closer than ¼ inch from the rim, or it will boil over. We learned this the hard way!
102/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
21/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups maple syrup
2 cups heavy cream
- In a large bowl (or in a mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time.
- Add the flour and baking powder and stir just until the flour is completely incorporated.
- Cover the dough and chill for at least 24 hours.
- Heat the oven to 450°F. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the syrup and cream to a boil.
- Divide the dough among six 8-ounce ramekins and place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Pour the cream and syrup mixture over the dough, dividing it evenly among the ramekins.
- Bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Camille said you can make a less expensive version substituting brown sugar for the maple syrup.
“It is rich and decadent and a perfect winter dessert,” she wrote. “With more heavy cream on top, it’s even better!”
Next time, we plan to make it with salted butter to balance the sweetness.
ABOUT THE COOK
Camille Béland-Goyette is a student living in Montréal.
Her ideal meal: “Fresh pasta with a cream and mushroom sauce and a thin and caramelized tarte Tatin.”
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
Tspbasil: “The description of chômeur enticed me to make this dessert … now … way past dinner and dessert time!”