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Individual Steamed Puddings are a twist on a traditional European steamed Christmas pudding. Baked in the oven in a bain marie, or water bath, they are moist, delicious, and full of old-world holiday flavors.

My parents had completely different childhoods. They did not grow up near each other. It was a fluke how they met. And their first “date” is a hilarious story. Maybe I’ll share it with you. We’ll just have to see how this post goes.

Dad grew up in Kentucky. Mom grew up in Winnipeg. Yes, that’s in Canada. No, they didn’t meet online. There was no online back then. They both just happened to be in the same place at the same time. In Minnesota, of all places. Maybe your parents met under strange circumstances, too. But I imagine most people back then married their high school sweethearts or someone they met in their hometown. Mine did not.

This makes for some vastly different traditional holiday recipes. Dad brought the down-home southern style of recipes for the holidays. Country green beans, black-eyed peas and ham, pecan pie; those types of recipes. Mom brough something completely different to the table.

Her recipes included Norwegian cookies, peppermint meringue cookies, and steamed pudding. She also brought cabbage rolls and perogies, but they’re not necessarily Christmas or holiday recipes. Mom’s influence was more European than Dad’s. Vastly different recipes to choose from as a kid when I was growing up. That’s for sure.

What is steamed pudding?

It’s not really steamed so much as it’s cooked in a water bath. For me growing up that was a steamed pudding mold with a tight-fitting lid. We’d make the batter and pour it into the mold. The lid goes on and we’d basically boil it for at least an hour or two.

It is packed with ingredients. Our family recipe has the strangest ingredients you can imagine in a pudding. There’s breadcrumbs, citron, golden raisins and currents, coffee, pineapple juice, and spices. It also has eggs, flour, and shredded carrots.

And then there’s the suet. I remember going to the meat counter every holiday season and asking them for suet. For YEARS we did this. Fast forward to me as an adult and I’m doing the exact same thing my parents did. I went to the meat counter and asked for suet. The guy wanted to argue with me that he didn’t have food grade suet. Um… there’s a difference? In everything I’ve read on the web, yes, I know that’s not always reliable, there’s no food grade versus not food grade.

I mean, beef fat is beef fat. Granted there’s some parts of the cow that have better suet than others, but beggars can’t be choosers in this respect. It’s not like I can specially ask for kidney fat when I’m walking up to my regular grocery store. Heck, I’m thrilled when they have ANY suet for this recipe. And yes, it does make a difference. I’ve tried it with butter and shortening. It just doesn’t have that rich flavor suet gives the pudding. I basically told the guy I didn’t care what kind he had, I just wanted suet. And it was up to me as to how I use or eat it.

A water and baking soda mixture is added right before baking. This is the part of science in baking, or steaming, that blows my mind. I know there’s a reason behind it. Dissolving the baking soda in the water helps it create those carbon dioxide bubbles easier. The alkaline combines with the acid in the pineapple juice and coffee to make the pudding rise and have a light texture.

Is steamed pudding actually pudding?

Well, not in the sense that we are thinking of pudding. I’m sure you’ve heard the song that references a figgy pudding. That’s what we’re talking about. Originally, steamed pudding was a more savory recipe. Made of beef, mutton, raisins, and prunes, the first steamed puddings in the 14th century were nothing like we think of them today. It took about 200 years for the steamed pudding to morph into a dessert.

My recipe is not a modern recipe in the least. It is like an early 1800’s recipe for Christmas pudding. My recipe contains not just the suet, but breadcrumbs, orange zest, golden raisins, currents, citron, suet, coffee, pineapple juice, sugar, and spices. Some claim that the recipe has 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the 12 apostles. I’m not sure if that’s true or not. I should count the number of ingredients in my recipe. Hm…

The older recipes were sort of like fruitcake today. They let them ferment, so to speak. Meaning the puddings were made at least a month in advance to allow the flavors of the spices and fruit to mature. Familys would gather five Sundays before Christmas to make the pudding then let it rest until Christmas. I’m not quite sure I’d do that with mine. I think there’s some kind of gauze like wrapping that happens to keep mold from forming. Don’t quote me on that though.

What’s in these Individual Steamed Puddings?

Not suet. So don’t worry about that. I used vegetable shortening in this recipe. It’s not quite as good as suet, but it’s more mainstream so more people might try it. Along with the shortening is brown sugar and eggs. All relatively mainstreamed ingredients. Then there’s the cold coffee. And pineapple juice. Fresh breadcrumbs make the “pudding” part of the dessert.

Then there’s the fruit. I used golden raisins and citron in mine. Citron is something I usually can’t find every time I want to make this. So, when I find it, I purchase several packages and then stick them in the freezer. That way I can make this any time I want. And once you have a taste, you will want to make it for all the holidays! At least I do.

What do Individual Steamed Puddings taste like?

Moist. They’re super moist. It’s like a cake and pudding came together. It’s not easy to describe. It’s like a bread pudding if you made it with croutons instead of bread. Then there’s the spices. The gingerbread spice is super delicious and really highlights all the other flavors in this pudding. The fruit is sweet and citrus-y. The vibrant citron brings all the flavors together and brightens the whole pudding.

I made an eggnog glaze for mine. Typically, we made a hard sauce for the large steamed pudding. You could make some for these mini versions, too. It would really make for a delicious and more traditional dessert for the holidays.

Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek!! We have 12 bloggers sharing over 30 recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings this holiday season. There are some giftable recipes, breakfast recipes, and delicious dessert recipes. Make sure to follow #ChristmasSweetsWeek on social media to see all of our delicious sweets.

Friday’s Recipes

• Angel Nutter Butter Cookies from Blogghetti
• German Chocolate Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peppermint Swirls from Magical Ingredients
• Steamed Pudding Cupcakes from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

We will be pinning all recipes to the #ChristmasSweeetsWeek Pinterest board. Follow it to see all the delicious recipes!