Steamed Cranberry Pudding
Tart cranberries punctuate a moist, molasses-rich pudding slowly steamed on the stove. Serve it warm with buttery cream sauce for an old-fashioned holiday dessert worth lingering over.
Recipe link
Prep time20 min
Cook time2 hr 45 min
Total time3 hr 20 min
- Course
- Dessert
- Cuisine
- Granny's Recipes, Holiday
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Est. calories / serving
- 330
Ingredients
Cranberry Pudding
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries — halved
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour — divided
- ½ cup unsulfured molasses — not blackstrap
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- As needed Cold water — enough to bring the molasses mixture to 1 cup total
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch fine salt
- As needed Butter or nonstick cooking spray — for greasing
Warm Cream Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare the Cranberries: Place the halved cranberries in a medium mixing bowl and toss with ½ cup flour until evenly coated, about 1 minute. Keep any flour left in the bowl.1½ cups cranberries, ½ cup flour
- Make the Batter: In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, stir together the molasses and baking soda, then add cold water until the liquid beneath any foam reaches the 1-cup line. The mixture may foam slightly. Immediately pour it over the floured cranberries, add the dry ingredients, and fold gently just until no dry streaks remain, about 30 seconds.½ cup molasses, 1 tsp baking soda, cold water, 1 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, salt
- Prepare the Pudding Mold: Generously grease a 6-cup pudding mold or 6-cup heat-safe bowl. Spoon in the batter, smooth the top, and make sure the mold is no more than two-thirds full. Cover tightly with the mold lid or a pleated layer of parchment paper and aluminum foil secured with kitchen twine. Bring several cups of water to a boil while covering the mold.Butter or nonstick cooking spray
- Steam the Pudding: Set a small rack or trivet inside a large, heavy pot and place the covered mold on top. Add boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the mold. Cover the pot and maintain a gentle simmer over medium-low heat for 2½ to 3 hours, checking the water level every 30 to 45 minutes and adding more boiling water as needed. The pudding is done when it pulls slightly from the sides, the center springs back lightly, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Carefully remove the mold, uncover it away from your face, and rest it on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the edge with a thin knife and invert onto a serving plate.Warm Cream Sauce
Warm Cream Sauce
- Prepare the Sauce: Combine sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the sugar begins to dissolve. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and keep warm.1 cup sugar, ½ cup butter, ½ cup heavy cream
- Serve: Cut the warm pudding into 8 slices and spoon the warm cream sauce generously over each serving.
Notes
- Cranberries: Use firm, fresh cranberries and discard any that are soft or shriveled. The ½ cup flour used for coating is part of the total flour and should stay in the batter.
- Molasses: Use unsulfured light or dark molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses.
- Steaming: Keep the water at a gentle simmer and add only boiling water when the level drops so the cooking temperature stays steady.
- Texture: This pudding is meant to be moist and dense. Mix only until the dry ingredients disappear.
- Make Ahead: The pudding may be steamed one day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate, then reheat covered in a 300°F oven or re-steam gently until hot.
- Storage and Reheating: Refrigerate the pudding and cream sauce separately within 2 hours. Use within 3 to 4 days and reheat until hot, stirring the sauce until smooth.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve after a holiday meal with Russian Spiced Tea.
- Optional Additions
- ½ cup walnuts (chopped)
- ½ cup pecans (chopped)
- whipped cream
Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)
Yield
1 pudding — Serving size: 1 slice with sauce
Some ingredients could not be modeled and may meaningfully change the totals. Treat these values as a rough estimate.
- Calories
- 330
- Carbohydrates
- 43.5 g
- Protein
- 3 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Saturated Fat
- 10.5 g
- Cholesterol
- 50 mg
- Sodium
- 300 mg
- Fiber
- 0.6 g
- Total Sugars
- 25.5 g
Equipment
- 6-cup pudding mold or 6-cup heat-safe bowl (Use a 6-cup capacity vessel. A fitted mold lid may replace the parchment-and-foil cover.)
- large heavy pot with lid (Use a pot large enough to hold the mold, rack, and water reaching halfway up the mold’s sides with the lid closed.)
- small steaming rack or trivet (Keep the mold raised above the bottom of the pot.)
- parchment paper (Use a pleated layer when the mold does not have a fitted lid.)
- aluminum foil (Use over the parchment to make a tight cover.)
- kitchen twine (Use to secure the parchment-and-foil cover.)
- mixing bowls (Use one medium bowl for the cranberries and one small bowl for the dry ingredients.)
- 2-cup liquid measuring cup (Use for combining the molasses, baking soda, and cold water.)
- saucepan (Use for the warm cream sauce.)
- wire rack (Use for the 15-minute rest before unmolding.)