Steamed dessert recipes

Steamed puddings are what winters were made for. What is better than curling up at home in front of a roaring fire with a warming pudding to banish any chills? Despite little or no fat used, steamed puds are a hearty staple for anyone’s diet in those cold, dreary months. Guaranteed to fill you up and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, there are a number of different dessert recipes available, and each one is as delicious as the last. With so many steamed dessert options, including sponge pudding recipes, coconut desserts and rice pudding recipes, it’s no wonder it’s tricky to choose which steamed pud you want to gobble up first! Below are two simple, but very tasty ones for you to try – enjoy!

1) Pecan and Maple Syrup Pudding

Ingredients 

• 3tbsp maple syrup
• 50g/1 ¾ oz pecan halves
• 115g/4 oz soft butter
• 115g/4 oz golden caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
• 1tbsp milk
• 115g/4 oz self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder

Method 

–  Lightly butter a 1.2 litre/2 pt pudding basin and put a small disc of baking powder at the bottom.

–  Spoon the maple syrup into the basin. Arrange half the pecan halves in the syrup and finely chop the rest.

–  Put the butter, sugar, eggs and milk into a mixing bowl and sift over the flour and baking powder. Beat well until smooth, then stir in the chopped nuts. Spoon the mixture into the basin and level the surface.

–  Cover with baking paper and then with a large piece of foil. Gather up the edges, crimping them securely against the sides of the basin.

–  Put into the steamer and cover with the lid. Steam for 2 hours, topping up the boiling water as necessary.

TIP

If you’re feeling naughty, top each portion of pudding and sauce with a spoonful of light cream cheese.

2) Coconut Rice Pudding

Ingedients

• 500g/1 ¾ oz pudding or round-grain rice
• 25g/ 1oz caster sugar
• 400ml/14 fl oz full-cream milk
• 200ml carton of coconut milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 20g/¾ oz butter
• Freshly grated nutmeg

Method

–  Butter a 20cm/8 inch soufflé dish. Spoon the rice and sugar over the base of the dish. Stir together the milk, coconut cream and vanilla extract and pour over the rice. Cut the butter into small pieces and dot over the top. Sprinkle some freshly grated nutmeg over the surface. Cover with foil, crimping the edges securely against the sides of the dish.

–  Put into the steamer and cover with the lid. Steam for about 2 hours or until the rice is tender and the pudding has thickened, stirring half way. Top up the boiling water as necessary.

TIP

Serve with slices of fresh or canned mango. If you’re after a standard rice pud, replace the coconut cream with milk or cream.