Dark chocolate port figgy pudding

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

We’ve all heard the verse from “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” in which carolers demand figgy pudding. So I was curious about its origins. In America when we hear the word “pudding” we think of a custard. But in Britain, pudding is used as another word for dessert, and some very posh people even shorten it to “pud.”

The terms “figgy pudding,” “plum pudding,” and “Christmas pudding” are all interchangeable, and they describe a boozy spice cake  packed with dried fruits.

Traditionally, families make it together on “Stir it Up Sunday,” which is the Sunday before Advent. Because of the cake’s high alcohol and sugar content, it will stay good for well over a year. In fact, it apparently gets better with time.

Both the cooking method and some of the ingredients are very outdated, so my goal was to create a more modern version of the desert that people would actually want to recreate. The first thing I adjusted was the fat in the recipe. The traditional fat of choice is “suet.” Good luck finding that! I used Challenge unsalted butter because it's 100% real cream butter, and it doesn't have any artificial or synthetic ingredients. 

Also, instead of steaming in a pudding pan, I opted to bake it for just 45 minutes in a bundt pan.

Once removed from the oven, wait 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a platter. It should pop right out of the pan.  If you like your pudding extra boozy, poke holes all over the cake while it’s still hot and baste it in booze.

I like to serve the figgy pudding with a caramel sauce because I think it makes the dessert extra special, but you could also try a chocolate sauce, a red wine reduction sauce, or just eat it plain.

Dark chocolate port figgy pudding

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the figgy pudding

• 80 grams (1/2 cup) dates, chopped
• 80 grams (1/2 cup) prunes, chopped
• 80 grams (1/2 cup) dried figs, chopped
• 80 grams (1/2 cup) raisins
• 1 cup ruby port wine
• 100 grams dark chocolate
• 2 large eggs
• 200 grams (1 cup) dark brown sugar
• 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted Challenge butter, melted and cooled
• 240 milliliters (1 cup) whole milk
• 300 grams (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

For the caramel sauce

• 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted Challenge butter
• 100 grams (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar
• 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) molasses
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

For the figgy pudding

1. Combine dried fruit and wine in saucepan and bring to boil. Once it boils, remove from heat, stir in chocolate, and cover with lid. Allow dried fruit to macerate in wine for 1 hour or up to 3 days in advance.
2. Once dried fruit has macerated, mash with a fork until consistency is semi-smooth. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease bundt pan. Set aside.
4. In large bowl, whisk eggs. Mix in brown sugar and butter. Mix in milk and mashed dried fruit/wine mixture.
5. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
6. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
7. Dump batter into greased bundt pan. Place bundt pan on baking sheet and into oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until figgy pudding becomes firm to touch and starts to pull away from sides.
8. Run sharp knife around edges of pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
9. Invert cake onto serving plate and it should pop right out.

For the caramel sauce

1. In large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, brown sugar and molasses.
2. Once butter and brown sugar have melted, slowly stir in cream.
3. Bring to boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
5. Spoon over slices of figgy pudding before serving.