This recipe and photo are from
Bon Appetit Magazine, December 2001.
English Christmas "pudding" is really a dense, moist
spiced cake. This gingerbread version is flavored with orange marmalade and
topped with a traditional hard sauce — butter and sugar mixed with brandy.
Basic Rules For Baking and
Secrets Of A Successful Cake.
Also check out more great
Cake
Recipes.
Gingerbread Christmas Pudding with Orange Hard Sauce
Recipe Type:
Cake,
Christmas Pudding
Cuisine: English
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 hour 15 min
Ingredients:
Non-stick vegetable oil spray
1 1/4 cups all-purposeflour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light)
molasses
1 teaspoon grated orange peel (zest)
Orange Hard Sauce (see recipe below)
Preparation:
Coat inside and center tube of 6- to 8-cup pudding mold or Bundt cake pan
with nonstick spray, then generously with butter.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder,
salt, baking soda, and cloves; set aside.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until well
blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add orange marmalade, molasses,
and orange peel (zest). Add the prepared flour mixture and beat just until blended.
Transfer batter to prepared mold. Cover mold tightly with aluminum foil.
Place steamer rack in a large pot. Place pudding mold on rack. Carefully
fill pot with enough water to come halfway up sides of mold.
Bring water just to boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and steam
pudding until a tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, adding
more boiling water as needed to maintain level, approximately 1 hour 15
minutes.
Using oven mitts, carefully remove mold from pot. Uncover and let stand
10 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut around top center and sides of pudding to loosen
from the mold. Turn pudding out onto rack and cool 20 minutes.
Can be made
1 day ahead. Cool completely. Return to mold; cover and chill. Re-steam 45
minutes to heat through, then turn out of mold.
Transfer pudding to
platter. Cut pudding into wedges; serve with Hard Sauce.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Orange Hard Sauce:
1 1/2 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon grated orange peel (
zest)
Combine all ingredients in small bowl; stir to blend well.
Can be made 4
days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before
serving.
