Québécois Maple Pudding (Pouding chômeur à l’érable)

 

 

 Québécois Maple Pudding, or Pouding chômeur à l’érable, as it is also known is a traditional Canadian dessert with its origins in the Province of Quebec. It is also known as Poor Man's Pudding, or the pudding of the unemployed.

The recipe is said to have been developed during the great depression, using ordinary every day simple ingredients that most people would have in their homes.

 

It has long been a favorite in my family and for no small reason. It is, simply put, incredibly delicious.  I have been making it in one form or another for my family for years and years.

I adapted the original recipe from a library book, entitled The Cooking of Provincial Quebec by Mirielle Beaulieu. It made a huge panful, and so, in this empty nest era of my life, I have small batched it so that it makes only 5 servings instead of 10.

 

I confess to having a great love of Maple syrup and maple desserts.  I remember when I first moved over to the UK, I brought with me a large 4-liter metal container of maple syrup. There were some things I knew that I could live without, but maple syrup was not one of them!

At that time, it was very difficult to find pure maple syrup in the UK. It is much easier now.  You would never be able to get on an airplane now lugging a large can of maple syrup like that!  This was a year before 9/11.

 

I used to make this dessert frequently when my children were growing up. They loved it!  I did not always use maple syrup, but more often than not made the brown sugar syrup option as it was more affordable for me in those days.

It made a quick, easy and economical dessert that I could make that would satisfy my large family and not bust my food budget.  I always had the ingredients for it in my cupboard.

These days when I make this pudding, I always make the maple syrup version of the sauce. The cream makes it extra rich and indulgent.  And when you serve it warm with lashings of cream drizzled over top, it is even more so.

Of course, you can enjoy it with scoops of vanilla ice cream as well, which is how my children used to like eating it.  I got into the habit of enjoying cream drizzled on my desserts when I lived in the UK as it was a very common thing to do over there.

 

They always like to enjoy their dessert/puddings with lashings of cream or warm custard sauce. Ice cream is almost never an option.  Some people will enjoy some of both the cream and the custard!

I can promise you that whether you enjoy it with cream, or custard, or both, or even ice cream, one thing is certain and that is that you WILL enjoy it! How could a person not enjoy a dessert which has been pleasing families for years and years!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUEBECOIS MAPLE PUDDING

Very simple everyday ingredients. There are two sauce options. You decide which one you want to use.

For the Maple sauce choice:

• 3/4 cup (180ml) pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
• pinch of sea salt

For the brown sugar sauce:

• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 up (180ml) water
• 1/2 tsp maple extract
• 1 TBS all-purpose plain flour

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup (105g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free-range eggs
• 3 fluid ounces (85ml) milk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

I don't think much explanation is needed when it comes to the ingredients. They are all simple everyday ingredients.  Do NOT be tempted to use artificial syrup when it comes to the maple syrup. It simply doesn't work.

Use only pure maple syrup or make the brown sugar option as detailed in the recipe. 

 

HOW TO MAKE QUEBECOIS MAPLE PUDDING

Seriously nothing could be easier.

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 7 by 11-inch baking dish really well.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Whisk together the milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.

To make the maple syrup sauce, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Pour into the baking dish.

To make the brown sugar sauce, whisk the sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in the maple flavoring and the water. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

 

Cream together the sugar and butter for the cake batter until light and well combined. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk/vanilla mixture, making three dry and two wet additions. Mix just to combine.

Spoon the cake batter over top of the hot syrup mixture evenly.

Place onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. The cake should test done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then spoon into bowls. Serve warm topped with either lashings of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

This is the perfect comforting midwinter dessert for the family. If you want to double it to make the full size, simply double all of the ingredients.  The timing for baking will be approximately 45 minutes.

This simple dessert will keep for up to five days, covered, in the refrigerator.  Sometimes I add raisins to the cake.

Some other comforting dessert you might enjoy are:

MOM'S BEST APPLE CRISP - With its crisp and buttery oat topping and sweet apple filling, this is a dessert everyone loves. Nothing says home sweet home better than a warm apple crisp!

SKILLET CHERRY COBBLER - A small sized cherry dessert for two that always pleases.  Cherry pie filling on the bottom and a sweet cakey cobbler topping on top. What's not to love!

Yield: 5

Author: Marie Rayner

Québécois Maple Pudding

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

This is also known as "Poor Man's Pudding." It is anything but poor. Simple ingredients put together in a most delicious way. Serve warm, spooned into bowls with pouring cream drizzled overtop, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is the small batch. The original version made 10 servings. You have two choices of sauce. Maple or brown sugar. You decide.

Ingredients

For the Maple sauce choice:

• 3/4 cup (180ml) pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
• pinch of sea salt

For the brown sugar sauce:

• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 up (180ml) water
• 1/2 tsp maple extract
• 1 TBS all-purpose plain flour

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup (105g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free-range eggs
• 3 fluid ounces (85ml) milk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 7 by 11-inch baking dish really well.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
4. To make the maple syrup sauce, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Pour into the baking dish.
5. To make the brown sugar sauce, whisk the sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in the maple flavoring and the water. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
6. Cream together the sugar and butter for the cake batter until light and well combined. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk/vanilla mixture, making three dry and two wet additions. Mix just to combine.
7. Spoon the cake batter over top of the hot syrup mixture evenly.
8. Place onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. The cake should test done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
9. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then spoon into bowls. Serve warm topped with either lashings of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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