Christmas Time Is Here: Steamed Gingerbread Pudding W/ Bourbon Cointreau Hard Sauce

It's December first, but maybe your not so excited for Christmas. Maybe you are feeling the Charlie Browniest of them all. Well, maybe this Gingerbread Steamed Pudding will lift your spirits and get you excited to celebrate the season.

This recipe is not a traditional recipe for steamed pudding. But it yields something in between a cake and a pudding since the batter is so liquidly it basically steams itself. 

It is super moist and delightfully gingery and spicy. The kinda cake you savor a small slice of because the flavor is so intricate. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the Bourbon Cointreau Hard Sauce just upped the ante.

Steamed Gingerbread Pudding

Makes two 9x5 inch loaf pan

via Tartine

Ingredients

• 215 gr. (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 100 gr. (2/3 cup) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped 
• 7oz (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) hot water
• 150 gr. (3/4 cup) sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temp

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and butter 2 9x5 loaf pans.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves together into a medium sized mixing bowl.

3. Place the ginger in a blender (I used a food processor because it was all that I had) with enough of the hot water to cover it; process till smooth. Pour the ginger into a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Pour the excess hot water back into the blender to dislodge any ginger that might have been left behind and pour that into the bowl.

4. Add the sugar, oil, molasses, salt and pepper to the ginger and mix on medium speed, or by hand with a whisk, until well mixed. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until moistened. Then switch to high speed and mix in the eggs until incorporated. The batter will be very thin.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, divide evenly. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. They suggest an hour and 10 minutes, mine only took 40-45 so check it at that point before baking longer.

6. Cool for 20 min in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack, flip right side up and serve warm or at room temp.

Bourbon Cointreau Hard Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
• 2 oz (1/2 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp Bourbon
• 2 tbsp Cointreau
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, over the lowest heat possible combine all the ingredients until smooth. Serve over the gingerbread or store in a small container in the fridge until ready to serve.