Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / Dessert / Cranberry-ginger caramel pudding

Cranberry-ginger caramel pudding

by Jeanne Horak on December 23, 2007 11 Comments in Dessert, Sugar High Fridays, Vegetarian

Cranberry ginger caramel pudding

I have a confession to make (no, don’t worry, it won’t be as scandalous as my recent Skeletons in the Pantry post…!).  It’s just that I’ve never really liked Christmas pudding.

I know – it’s kind of freaky, but there you go.

While everybody else looked forward to the Christmas pudding as the highlight at the end of the Christmas lunch, I’d be thinking “hmmm, I wonder if I can ask for a double scoop of neat brandy butter if I forego the pudding?”.  To me, Christmas pudding was just an obstacle to overcome in the search for a 5 cent piece or two that my mom always hid in the pudding.

Over the years, I have learnt that there are Christmas puddings and Christmas puddings.  I have developed a grudging liking for ones that are heavy on the fruit (but not citrus peel!!) and low on the actual dough, or ones that feature more exciting ingredients like cranberries.  But given a choice, I would never make or serve Christmas pudding myself.

So what to do when you’ve invited some friends over for a pre-Christmas lunch, the roast is in the oven, the weather is simply freezing, and the whole scenario is just crying out for a hot baked pudding with a festive twist?  Christmas pudding would be the path of least resistance, but I decided instead to beat a brand new path through the culinary brambles.

Requirement 1 was that it had to be a baked pudding, preferably self-saucing.  Requirement 2 was that it needed to reference the festive season somehow.  And bonus requirement 3 was that it use up some of the random leftover baking ingredients cluttering up my kitchen counters as we speak.  Which is how the glorious creation pictured above came about.

The recipe is an adaptation of my basic and beloved self-saucing apple caramel pudding, substituting crystallised ginger and dried cranberries for apple, and adding a bit of spice to the batter and sauce with ground ginger.  As we were 7 people and the recipe really only feeds 5 comfortably, I decided to double it.  Without cheking that I had a dish big enough to hold this.  Suffice to say I almost did.  Meaning that the syrupy sauce ended up bubbling over a little and landing on the floor of my oven – cue belching, acrid smoke as I opened the oven door 40 minutes later, and a lingering eau de charcoal in the house.  Also, if you are going to double the recipe, you will need a longer cooking time, as I discovered.  Possibly not double the cooking time, but definitely 1.5 the time. The combination of tart cranberries/ginger, crispy crust and rivers of caramel sauce is a winner – at Christmastime or anytime!

 

Cranberry ginger caramel pudding

 

CRANBERRY GINGER SELF-SAUCING PUDDING (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

FOR THE PUDDING:
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
3/4 cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
20g butter, melted
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1/2 a cup finely chopped crystallised ginger
1/2 a cup dried cranberries

FOR THE SAUCE:
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 cups (500ml) boiling water
60g butter, chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a 2 litre oven-proof dish.

Combine the flour, sugar, butter, ground ginger, milk and fruit in a large bowl and mix well.  Spread the mixture into the prepared dish.

For the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the butter melted.

Pour the caramel sauce slowly over the back of a spoon over batter in dish.  Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes or until firm in the centre – test with a skewer.

Serve immediately with custard. Do not let the pudding stand too long before serving as the sauce will be absorbed!

This is my entry into this month’s Sugar High Friday event, hosted by the lovely Zorra at 1 x umruehren bitte.  The theme is puddings – and who can resist those?!

More deliciousness for you!

  • Cranberry pistachio Bircher muesli – a Pret-a-Manger fakeawayCranberry pistachio Bircher muesli – a Pret-a-Manger fakeaway
  • Cranberry, pistachio & choc chip cookiesCranberry, pistachio & choc chip cookies
  • Cranberry, orange and pecan muffins for WTSIMCranberry, orange and pecan muffins for WTSIM
  • Rhubarb, cranberry and ginger foolRhubarb, cranberry and ginger fool

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Roast duck with pancetta and potatoes – an alternative Christmas meal
Merry Christmas everyone! »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Andrew says

    December 23, 2007 at 10:02 am

    Are you implying that it’s wrong to eat brandy butter direct from the tub… by the spoonful… ?
    Ooops…

    Reply
  2. Anne says

    December 23, 2007 at 4:10 pm

    Ok, it’s confession time. I’ve never tried baked puddings like this. Never. Never ever. We just don’t have them. I’ve been eyeing recipes from Jamie and Nigella, but.. haven’t tried them. I just might have to, eventually, and this one looks really tasty. Also, umm, well, I have all the ingredients at home. But brandy butter? That I don’t have. Maybe a scoop of ice cream would work out? 🙂

    Reply
  3. Christmas Bellini Valli says

    December 23, 2007 at 5:21 pm

    I really love this idea! Every once in a while you find a recipe that just hits the mark completely. I am not a huge fan of heavy Christmas puddings after an already huge meal. This would be wonderful…bookmarked!

    Reply
  4. Ash says

    December 23, 2007 at 8:29 pm

    God, that looks fabulous. I think I like the look of it because it looks so much like asynpoeding, but with more stuff 🙂
    Happy Christmas!

    Reply
  5. johanna says

    December 23, 2007 at 11:01 pm

    dear oh dear, why now? now that i’ve done all my food shopping for the holidays? and i will be craving this pudding for days, if not weeks? it’s definitely one i am making when my parents are over, what a brilliant treat! having eaten it from you before, i know how delicious it is and the cranberris will make it irresistible. have fun skiing and i’ll see you when you’re back! (don’t break a leg, ok?)

    Reply
  6. zorra says

    December 24, 2007 at 9:27 am

    I’m happy I’m not the only one who is sometimes curing the kitchen. 😉 Your Pudding looks delicious.
    Thank you for your particpation in SHF and merry Christmas to you and your family.

    Reply
  7. Ann says

    December 28, 2007 at 3:27 pm

    Oh my… a “Christmas Pudding” I can love… I’m very excited about this! But I also need your original self-saucing apple caramel pudding recipe! Please?
    This look wonderful!

    Reply
  8. Penguin says

    January 2, 2008 at 8:11 am

    I made this for New Year’s Eve and it was absolutely wonderful. Thank you! It’s also delicious cold … and there’s so much sauce that it doesn’t get re-absorbed. Quite a lot of the cranberries and ginger bits floated out of the sponge and into the sauce but it didn’t matter at all – just made it more delicious!

    Reply
  9. cyn says

    January 4, 2008 at 11:20 am

    oh gawd. i love ginger in my desserts. what a perfectly sweet way to start the new year for me!!! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Antonia says

    January 4, 2008 at 10:17 pm

    This looks divine. I am a huge fan of the ‘self-saucing’ pudding and regularly make a chocolate one, a lemon one and a sticky toffee version. But this sounds like such a great and festive combination. PLEASE post the recipe for the apple and caramel one too as that sounds heavenly!
    Happy New Year!

    Reply
  11. suzi-k says

    January 10, 2008 at 7:10 am

    hi, thanks for visiting our PE Daily Photo blog. Oh dear, we are trying so hard to be GOOD and eat like bunnies since Max’s recent heart attack, but I just HAVE to try this one! Will probably have to substitute olive or peanut oil for the butter though, will let you know if it works! Fully agree about Christmas pudd, even worse when trying to force it into bloated overheated bod in the height of summer!

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Oxtail and red wine potjie
Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert

Featured on

Also available on

🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London! Every 🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London!

Everywhere you look, these long-legged floral supermodels are adding a splash of colour to parks and gardens and I just can’t get enough of them! It’s easy to see how they inspired a collective buying frenzy in 17th Century Holland, called “tulip fever”, but today there are less dramatic ways to enjoy them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where to see them at their best:

🌷 The ultimate tulipalooza is the annual opening of Keukenhof gardens outside Amsterdam where 7 million (!) bulbs burst into life each Spring. This year the gardens are open 24 March-15 May (click on the link in my bio for FAQs and my top tips for visitors)

🌷In London, Kew Gardens always has spectacular displays of tulips; but you can also see excellent and free tulips in most of the Royal Parks such as Regents Park. 

🌷The Hampton Court Palace tulip festival is on until 2 May and the Hever  Castle’s Tulip Celebrations until 24 April - both within easy reach of London.

🌷The Morges Fete de la Tulipe in Switzerland takes place every year against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Geneva - it is on until 8 May this year.

I spotted these spectacular red frilly parrot tulips beside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday 🌹 Where is the best display of tulips that you have ever seen?
MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2022 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT