Steamed Jam Puddings with Sweet White Sauce
Steamed jam puddings are one of the most comforting old-fashioned desserts I know. Soft, moist sponge with a layer of warm jam underneath, served with a simple sweet white sauce, it’s the sort of dessert that makes a cold winter’s night feel a little cosier.
I grew up in a family of seven, and my mum cooked a delicious meal every night, always followed by dessert. These little steamed puddings were one of my favourites, and they’re just as comforting today as they were back then.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is that you don’t need a traditional pudding steamer. They’re gently steamed in an ordinary oven using a simple bain-marie, making them much easier to prepare at home. They also work beautifully gluten free with a good-quality self-raising gluten-free flour.
If you enjoy old-fashioned steamed desserts, you might also like my Golden Syrup Pudding Cake, which has a similar soft, moist texture and is baked using the same gentle water-bath method.
Steamed Jam Puddings with Sweet White Sauce
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6 – 7 puddings
These old fashioned steamed jam puddings have a beautifully soft, moist sponge with warm jam underneath. They are gently steamed in a bain-marie in the oven and served with a simple sweet white sauce. Made with everyday pantry ingredients, they also work beautifully with a good-quality gluten free self raising flour.
Ingredients
Steamed Jam Puddings
- 150 g butter, softened, approximately ⅔ cup
- 150 g caster sugar, approximately ¾ cup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
- 225 g self-raising flour, 1½ cups
- OR
- 225 g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus 2½ teaspoons baking powder (sift together 3 times),
- Pinch of salt
- 50 ml milk, 2½ tablespoons
To Prepare the Dishes
- Butter for greasing
- Caster sugar for coating the dishes
- raspberry jam, apricot jam, golden syrup, honey, or any jam you like (about 1 tablespoon per pudding)
Sweet White Sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
- 600 ml milk
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 10 g butter, about 2 teaspoons
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the dishes
- Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional (375°F) or 170°C fan forced.
- Choose ovenproof cups, ramekins or pudding dishes of a similar size. I used cups that held about 240 ml, but any similar-sized dishes will work.
- Grease each dish generously with butter.
- Instead of flouring the dishes, sprinkle a little caster sugar into each one and turn until lightly coated. (Many of the older recipes used this method. I like it because it adds a little extra sweetness and I feel it also helps protect the sponge).
- Place about 1 tablespoon of jam, golden syrup or honey into the base of each dish.
- If using jam, simply loosen it a little with a spoon first.
Make the sponge
- Cream together the butter, caster sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in the eggs.
- If the mixture begins to curdle, add a tablespoon of the measured flour before continuing. Don’t worry if it does curdle slightly; the puddings will still turn out well.
- Sift over the flour over the bowl, (baking powder if using plain flour) and salt.
- Fold the flour into the butter mixture with the milk until just combined. Try not to overmix.
Fill the dishes
- Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared dishes.
- Fill them only halfway, allowing plenty of room for the puddings to rise.
- Place a small piece of lightly buttered baking paper over each pudding.
- Cover with a larger piece of lightly buttered aluminium foil and seal around the edge.
- Place the puddings into a deep baking dish.
- Pour in warm tap water until it reaches about halfway up the outside of the dishes.
- The water should be quite warm, but still comfortable to touch with your finger.
Bake
- Bake on the middle shelf.
- Begin checking the puddings after 45 minutes.
- Depending on the size and thickness of your dishes, they may take 60 minutes, or even a little longer. Thick ceramic or enamel cups generally take longer than thin metal dariole moulds.
- The puddings are ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Steamed puddings are at their best when they are just cooked through, so try not to overcook them.
Sweet White Sauce
- Whisk the cornflour with a little of the milk until smooth in a large bowl.
- Heat the remaining milk until just below boiling.
- Slowly whisk the hot milk into the cornflour mixture.
- Return everything to the saucepan.
- Cook over low heat, whisking continuously until the sauce comes back to the boil.
- Simmer gently for 2 minutes, whisking continuously.
- Remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the butter, sugar and vanilla.
- Taste and add a little extra sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce.
To serve
- Carefully remove the puddings from the water bath.
- Allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before handling.
- Run a knife around the edge and carefully turn them out.
- Serve with the warm sweet white sauce or custard or cream or ice-cream.
Video
Notes
Measurements This recipe uses Australian standard measurements:
Cooking Time Begin checking the puddings after 45 minutes. Depending on the size and material of your dishes, they may take up to 70 minutes. The puddings are ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Gluten Free I made these successfully using Gluten Free World Self Raising Flour. No additional xanthan gum was needed.
Plain Flour If using plain (all-purpose) flour, add 2½ teaspoons baking powder and sift it with the flour three times before using.
Sweet White Sauce In the video I used tapioca starch because I’d run out of cornflour. It worked well, however I prefer cornflour, which gives a more traditional smooth texture. If using tapioca starch, simmer it for only about 40 seconds after it returns to the boil. The sauce will thicken as it cools and is best made close to serving. If it becomes too thick or slightly lumpy, reheat it gently while whisking and add a little extra milk until smooth and pourable.
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 20 ml
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
Cooking Time Begin checking the puddings after 45 minutes. Depending on the size and material of your dishes, they may take up to 70 minutes. The puddings are ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Gluten Free I made these successfully using Gluten Free World Self Raising Flour. No additional xanthan gum was needed.
Plain Flour If using plain (all-purpose) flour, add 2½ teaspoons baking powder and sift it with the flour three times before using.
Sweet White Sauce In the video I used tapioca starch because I’d run out of cornflour. It worked well, however I prefer cornflour, which gives a more traditional smooth texture. If using tapioca starch, simmer it for only about 40 seconds after it returns to the boil. The sauce will thicken as it cools and is best made close to serving. If it becomes too thick or slightly lumpy, reheat it gently while whisking and add a little extra milk until smooth and pourable.
