Every family has their favourite Christmas traditions and in mine it is serving this pudding on Christmas Eve night. Its not a hard dessert to make, but it does take some time to cook. Don’t let this fool you though – its worth it! You can even make is up to a week in advance to have it ready for the big evening. The past couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to learn how to make this from my Great Aunt and I look forward to our cooking session every time.
The cake comes out moist and flavourful with a rich brown sugar sauce and of course a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream on top. Usually we’re too full after dinner on Christmas Eve to have anything more than a bite, but we tend to eat the leftovers for the next few days. We’ve even been known to reheat some pieces for Christmas morning breakfast.
What you’ll need:
CARROT PUDDING
- 1 cup grated Carrot
- 1 cup grated Potato
- 1 cup White Flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Seeded Raisins
- 1/2 cup Currants
- 3 Red Cherries
- 3 Green Cherries
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 tsp Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Soda
BROWN SUGAR SAUCE
- 1-1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1-1/2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Grease a glass bowl with a bit of butter on a piece of wax paper. Set aside.
Grate carrots and potatoes, measure out one cup each and set aside.
Cream butter, add sugar and blend.
Add carrot and half cup of potato and mix well.
Chop up the cherries into quarters and then toss with the raisins and currants with a bit of flour. This will help suspend the fruit in the pudding.
Add fruit to butter mixture.
Sift together flour and spices together.
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture.
Dissolve soda in the remaining 1/2 cup potato.
Add potato-soda mixture to the creamed mixture last. Mix everything together well.
Pour mixture into the buttered bowl and smooth out.
Completely seal the bowl with tin foil. Sometimes we tie a string around the tin foil to really keep it tight.
Place the bowl in the steamer pot on the stove and let steam for 3 hours.
Keep the lid on it!
Occasionally check to make sure that there is enough water in the pot. You do NOT want it to burn dry.
Its helpful to keep a kettle nearby with warm water and add that water into the pot as needed.
When the pudding is done, take it out and check that it is completely cooked.
My aunt insists that you always take out a little “mouse bite” to check that it turned out well. Let it cool and then re-wrap to go back in the fridge until Christmas Eve dinner. On the night, the pudding is steamed again until it is heated through.
To make the sauce:
Combine the cornstarch, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Put butter in a saucepan and cook over heat until medium brown.
Add in cornstarch mixture a bit at a time and mix it up with the butter.
Continue to stir as it gets brown.
Add in 1-1/4 cup boiling water and continue to thicken.
Add in vanilla, give it all a final stir and then you’re ready to serve it over the steamed pudding.
Perfectly fragrant pudding, rich brown sugar sauce and whipped cream. This is the perfect holiday dessert and something I look forward to every Christmas. Please make this for your family too!
– – –
Linked Up To:
Alderberry Hill
