A Winter’s Walk, a Cup of Tea and a Warm Dessert
This delicious dessert is the perfect finish to a long, refreshing winter weekend walk in the snow. What better way to top off an invigorating winter walk than to come back to your cozy abode knowing you will enjoy a cup of hot tea and a comforting warm dessert? Redolent of all the freshness of summer, yet belly-warming, this yummy steamed pudding floats in a pool of creamy orange buttermilk sauce. This dessert is tasty any time of year, but we especially enjoy having it in the fall or winter.
Blackberry Steamed Pudding Recipe
Adapted from Anna Olson
Equipment:
- 6 ramekins (5 ounce)
- 9 x 12 baking dish
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum baking foil
Ingredients:
- 2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sugaring insides of ramekins
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp unsalted butter, melted
- 10 Tbsp buttermilk at room temperature (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
- pinch of salt
Orange Buttermilk Sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 10 Tbsp buttermilk (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter six (5 ounce) ramekins and coat with sugar (shake out excess sugar). Distribute all the blackberries among the ramekins and place them all into a baking dish (a 9 x 12 inch baking pan works well).
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Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract by hand until creamy, pale and thick. Whisk in melted butter, buttermilk and lemon zest.
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In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon, then whisk dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture.
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In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and salt to stiff peaks. First, fold in a third of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining two thirds of whipped egg whites.
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Spoon the batter into ramekins, distributing equally. Carefully and slowly pour boiling water into the baking dish until halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the top of the baking dish with parchment paper, then with a layer of foil. Wrap edges of foil as tightly as possible around the edges of the baking dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (until cake springs back when touched).
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Carefully remove foil and parchment paper and take the ramekins out of water bath. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
To serve, spoon some Orange Buttermilk Sauce (directions follow) in the bottom of a flat-bottomed bowl, making a pool. Carefully run a sharp, thin knife around the edge of each pudding. Place a warm pudding over the sauce, upside-down, so that the berries are on top.
Yield: 6 (5-ounce) ramekins.
Orange Buttermilk Sauce:
The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and chilled. In a small pot, combine all ingredients except butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens a little and coats the back of a spoon (about 5 minutes). Strain and stir in butter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yield: 1/2 cup
Notes:
- I love cardamom so I added it to this recipe. If you don’t like cardamom or don’t have it on hand, just skip it.
- Anna Olson’s original recipe calls for the pan to be covered with plastic wrap and then foil before baking. I avoid cooking with plastics of any kind, so I opted to use parchment paper instead of plastic wrap.
- This pudding also pairs well with a Crème Anglais sauce.
Image Credits:
Blackberry Steamed Pudding, by madlyinlovewithlife; © 2016 madlyinlovewithlife.
This looks so beautiful and delicious!!
Thank you so much your visit and lovely comment. Wishing you a great day!
~ Jeannie :))
Thank you very much Jeannie, for the wonderful desserts,
it was delicious …
I wish you a good day.
Hervé.
Hello Herve! I’m glad you enjoyed this delicious dessert! Wishing you a very happy weekend! :))
Nicely presented and captured Jeannie..I can just imagine how good it tastes!!! Hope your having a great week and are enjoying this fantastic weather :))
Thank you Sam! I really think you would like this Blackberry Steamed Pudding. And yes, we have indeed been enjoying the beautiful weather. Have a great weekend! :))
Wow, Jeannie, this is a work of art. It looks delicious. Although I like to bake, I am not familiar with steam puddings; this looks delightfully airy and light, whipping in the egg whites. And the berry flavoring and orange buttermilk sauce, very flavorful. Makes me want to go outside and hike in the ice and cold. ha.
Hello Jet! Thank you so much for stopping by. Steamed puddings are not very common here in North America but are much more popular in the UK (think of traditional English Plum Pudding or Christmas Pudding). This is the first and only steamed pudding I’ve ever had. Though this recipe does indeed sound like the cake might have a light airy texture (as folding in whipped egg whites would suggest) it in fact has a dense crumb, which is why these “pudding” cakes tend to need a sauce. It’s more of a hearty dessert, which is why we usually only have it in the winter time. Wishing you a fabulous day! :))
looks amazing Jeannie, but I may have to pass on this one for a while, I need to get my waist line under control. I hope you are well my friend. My life is on a bit of a reboot at the moment after being made redundant. Normal service will resume shortly ;-).
Regards
Mark
Hello Mark! I totally get taking a dessert vacation. I do the same thing every once in a while. And remember, when one door closes, it’s an opportunity to open other doors—new doors you might not have otherwise opened. Enjoy the transition, my friend—I have a feeling something even better will come your way. Thank you for stopping by!
Oh the yumminess is coming right through my screen. Mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmm
My Momma use to make plum pudding at Christmas… this kind of reminds me of it… even though this is different. Thank You for the memories!
How delicious this must be after that long winter walk.
Thank you, Nancy! I’ve never had a classic plum pudding—I’ve always wanted to try one. It sounds like a really nice Christmas tradition. What nice memories your Momma made for the family. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday!
I had store-bought cheesecake for dessert today. It was quite good, but I know it can’t compare with this home-made taste of heaven :) Your partner is very blessed ;)))
Thank you, dear Takami! I feel very blessed that I have someone so wonderful to bake with and to bake for! :))
Sounds so easy…. But since I’m trying to stay on course with my “weight loss plan(not)”, I am grateful I do not have ramekins. 😁 You are the consummate dessert chef, Jeannie!
Thanks, Koji. I am totally totally on board with taking “dessert vacations”. We take them regularly around here too. :))