O, Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding!

Figgy pudding.  We sing about it in that fun Christmas carol, but who knows what it really is?  This year I decided to find out and make some myself.  In my research I found that this famous pudding is really not a pudding at all, but a glorified Christmas cake.  With wonderful spices, dried fruits and nuts.  And don't forget the booze.  Most recipes include brandy, either in the cake itself or the cake is soaked in the alcohol and then lit before serving to oohs and aahs, I'm sure.  No wonder those persistent carolers weren't going to leave until they got some!  

The recipe I tried isn't super authentic.  For starters, no alcohol.  And then there's the steaming process that's supposed to take three to four hours.  My cakes were baked.  I did find a nice recipe here, for a steamed pudding that I think I will try next year.  Oh, and there's the chocolate, which I didn't find in any other recipe, but how can you go wrong with some grated scharffen berger?  The holidays deserve the best chocolate around!  The recipe I tried is called Warm Sticky Figgy Pudding and I found it here.  Authentic or not, I was pleased with the results.

I loved working with these beautiful dried figs and dates.

I chopped them into small pieces and put them to soak in boiling water for about ten minutes.

When I added the baking soda, wow, the whole thing became a mass of bubbly liquid.  That was fun and reminded me of being in a chemistry class.... years ago. 

After the dried fruit "soup" cooled a little, I put it into a blender and pureed it into a thick liquid.  That was then added to the other ingredients and mixed to form a nice cake batter.

Although I've had these mini bundt pans for some time, I hadn't used them, but this recipe seemed perfect for breaking them in. You could also use ramekins or muffin tins.

How cute is that? 

I whipped up the warm caramel sauce while they baked.  

Served on a plate with whipped cream ( you know, I mean the real thing, right?), they were delicious.  Oh, yummy!  Now, you know what figgy pudding is (well, my version, anyway), and if you come caroling to my house, you just might get some.