The fall season seems to orchestrate a return to the kitchen, to lure us who enjoy to cook, back to the stove. With the cooler days and nights, heating up the oven to cook or bake becomes conceivable once more.
Like many baked desserts, the self-saucing pudding is a combination of mystery and chemistry. In the baking process, the flour/baking powder, rises to the top and the heavier sauce falls to the bottom.
Not quite a pudding and not exactly a cake, self saucing pudding has a souffle-like quality. It’s origins are unclear, but there is evidence that the concept of pouring hot water (or sauce) over the cake before baking to partially steam it as it bakes may be an Australian innovation.
It really doesn’t matter where the concept came from. What matters is that it works brilliantly to create a dessert with lightness and richness all in one pan. A simple dollop of whip cream on the top and there you have it … home baked goodness!
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- 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 1/2 Tbsp butter,
- 2 large pears, peeled, cored & halved
- 3/4 cup (110 gm) self-raising flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 1/4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp EACH cinnamon & cardamom
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 40 gm (1/3 cup) pecans, coarsely chopped
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
Pudding
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- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water & butter; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover & set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 4 oven-proof custard dishes ( 1 1/4 cup capacity) & place on a baking sheet. Place half of a pear in each dish.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, spices, milk & vanilla; mix well. Spread the mixture evenly over pear halves in dishes. Sprinkle batter with pecans. Carefully pour HOT caramel sauce over pudding batter in custard cups.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until puddings are firm. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.