Cabinet Pudding is a traditional English recipe for a classic dessert of sponge fingers or Madeira cake slices and fruit steamed in a milk and egg custard base until cooked through and set. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: Cabinet Pudding.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
Cabinet pudding, also known as chancellor's pudding or Newcastle pudding, is a traditional English steamed, sweet, moulded pudding made from some combination of bread or sponge cake or similar ingredients in custard, cooked in a mould faced with decorative fruit pieces such as cherries or raisins, served with some form of sweet sauce.
This is a relation of the Bread and Butter Pudding, except that, instead of buttered bread and dried fruit baked in a custard base, the Cabinet Pudding is made from slices of sponge cake, dried fruit and glacé cherries that are steamed in a custard base in a pudding mould.
Ingredients:
150g sponge fingers (those cut from Madeira Cake are ideal)
75g sugar
100g sultanas
50g glacé cherries
600ml milk
3 eggs
rum or madeira
butter for greasing
sugar for dusting
Method:
Combine the rum and cherries in a bowl. Pour over about 3 tbsp rum or Madeira and set aside to soak.
Butter a large pudding basin or loaf tin and sprinkle with brown sugar then dot with the fruit before lining the basin with pieces of sponge or sponge fingers. Arrange the remainder sponge pieces in layers inside the bowl, interspersed with the remaining soaked fruit and sprinkled with sugar.
Whisk the eggs with 2 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Pour the milk into a pan and slowly heat to simmering point (but do not allow to boil). Take off the heat and add in a steady stream to the eggs, whisking constantly. Slowly pour this custard into the pudding basin, pausing occasionally to allow the liquid to soak into the sponge. When all the custard has been added cover the top of the pudding with a double layer of kitchen foil that's been pleated to allow for expansion. Tie down securely with string then place in a steamer basket and steam over a bowl of boiling water for about 70 minutes, or until cooked through (check the pan occasionally and top-up with boiling water, as needed, to prevent it from boiling dry).
Turn out onto a warmed serving plate, cut into slices and serve with custard, cream or white sauce. The pudding can also be cooled to be served cold.
