The Startup Cook – Poor Man’s Pudding

I first learnt of Poor Man’s Pudding thanks to Chuck (yes that gastrosexual cutie who cooks on his day off). Of course, Chuck's recipe of Poor Man’s Pudding bordered on the lines of wealthy rather than poor. Therefore for the sake of simplicity and originality, I settled for the traditional recipe used by the commoners.

Formulated after referring a few Poor Man’s pudding methods, this recipe is definitely a keeper.  Except for its unfortunate name, this dessert is hardly ‘poor ‘in any way.  It’s luxuriously sweet (literally melts in your mouth) and is absolutely satisfying.

This is the pudding one must have to cope with a taxing week day.

Ingredients

2/3 cup of flour
1/3 cup of milk
¾ cup of brown sugar
2/3 cup of water
2 tbs of butter
1 tsp of baking powder
3 tbs of white sugar
2 tsp of vegetable oil
1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 175 Celsius. Prepare a baking dish and set it aside.

In a separate bowl, add the flour and baking powder, whisk and set it aside.

Add the white sugar, vegetable oil and egg in to medium size mixing bowl and whisk until it’s well combined.

Then add the flour and milk to the mixture.  Whisk until its smooth and lump free.

Spoon the batter in to the prepared dish and bake for five minutes.

Pour the water in to saucepan and place it on a low flame.

Add in the brown sugar and stir gently.

After the sugar has melted, add the butter and stir briskly.

Once the syrup has formed take it off the heat.

Take the baking dish out of the oven and pour the syrup on to the pudding.

Place the dish back in the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes.

Serve while warm.

Disasters, Warnings and Tips

This is such a fun dessert to make!

Underneath the firm pudding, there is a significant level of syrup. HEAVEN!

Feel free to decrease on the white sugar.

I’m STILL reading The Reader.  

If Bread Pudding and Caramel Pudding had a lovechild, it would taste like Poor Man’s Pudding.

After baking for 5 minutes keep the pudding dish in the hot oven.

I baked this in my awesome enamel bowl.

By Shazzana Hamid