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Quintessentially Quebecois

Indulge in the easy coziness of this warm maple syrup-accented cake. 

Pouding chômeur is a dessert with a long-standing Québécois culinary heritage. The French word chômeur translates to “unemployed”; the pudding is aptly named because it was intended to be an affordable luxury for those struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression. Legend attributes its creation to women factory workers in Quebec who ingeniously combined flour, sugar, eggs, and milk to make a humble cake batter, and adding the quintessential Canadian ingredient of maple syrup elevated it to icon status.

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Pouding Chômeur

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 cup (240 grams) heavy whipping cream1 cup (336 grams) pure grade A dark amber maple syrup½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt

Cake:

1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour1¾ teaspoons (8.75 grams) baking powder½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt⅓ cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract½ cup (120 grams) whole milk, room temperatureWhipped Crème Fraîche (recipe follows)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly spray a 1½-quart baking dish with cooking spray; use a pastry brush to spread spray evenly, removing excess.
For sauce: In a medium saucepan, bring cream, maple syrup, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool for at least 5 minutes.
For cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; whisk in milk. Gradually add flour mixture, whisking until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Spread batter into prepared pan. Slowly and gently pour sauce onto the back of a large spoon over batter so it runs off spoon and onto batter. (Do not stir together.)
Bake until cake is golden, sauce is bubbly, and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with Whipped Crème Fraîche. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Notes

*pro tip

Pouring the sauce onto the back of a spoon lets it fall gently onto the batter, which avoids creating holes or an uneven surface. You want the sauce to sit on top of the batter so that as it bakes, the layers switch places in the pan.

 

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Whipped Crème Fraîche

Makes about ¾ cup

Ingredients

¼ cup (60 grams) crème fraîche½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract½ cup (120 grams) cold heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together crème fraîche and vanilla until smooth. Add cold cream, and whisk until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

The post Quintessentially Quebecois first appeared on Bake from Scratch.

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