Plum Pudding -- The Dessert That Honors the Women Who Kept the Table

Mother's Day Sunday. Made Connie breakfast in bed — scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, coffee — because Mother's Day is the one day I serve her instead of just feeding her. Feeding is daily. Serving is carrying a tray with a flower from the garden in a juice glass because we don't own a vase.

Called Betty. She said thank you but every day is mother's day when you've had six children and none have gone to prison. She's making fried chicken for herself, celebrating being eighty-two and still standing.

Travis and Jolene brought Earl Thomas for Sunday dinner — first time the baby's been to our house. Fried chicken (Betty's), mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, and banana pudding that improves overnight the way grudges do. Held Earl Thomas while Jolene ate, which is the grandfather's job — to hold the baby while the mother gets twenty minutes of fork-in-both-hands freedom.

The baby looked at me. Not through me — at me. Those dark eyes focused on my face and stayed. I said hi there, Earl Thomas. I said I'm your PawPaw. I said you're going to eat so good.

Betty’s fried chicken was the centerpiece, and the banana pudding was spoken for — but when I think about what dessert truly suited a day like that one, a day with a new baby in my arms and eighty-two years of Betty still standing in her own kitchen, I keep coming back to plum pudding. It’s the kind of dessert that takes time and doesn’t apologize for it, the kind that’s been showing up at important tables for generations — which felt exactly right for Earl Thomas’s first Sunday dinner and for every mother in the room. Here’s the recipe I’d make again for a table like that one.

Plum Pudding

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas)
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup brandy or apple juice
• Zest of 1 orange
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Powdered sugar or brandy butter, for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan. Generously grease a 1.5-quart pudding basin or heatproof bowl with butter. Cut a round of parchment to fit the bottom and press it in.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Stir in the breadcrumbs and brown sugar until evenly mixed.
3. Cream butter and eggs. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the molasses, brandy (or apple juice), orange zest, and lemon zest.
4. Combine wet and dry. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the dried fruit, prunes, candied orange peel, and nuts. The batter will be thick and dense — that’s exactly right.
5. Fill the basin. Spoon the batter into the prepared pudding basin, pressing it down gently to remove air pockets. Smooth the top. Cover tightly with a double layer of greased parchment paper, then a layer of foil, securing with kitchen twine around the rim.
6. Steam the pudding. Place the basin on a trivet or folded dish towel in a large pot. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover the pot and steam over medium-low heat for 3 hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding more boiling water as needed to maintain the level.
7. Cool and unmold. Remove the basin from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, then invert onto a serving plate. The pudding should release cleanly with a deep, mahogany color.
8. Serve. Dust lightly with powdered sugar or serve warm with brandy butter or a dollop of whipped cream. To reheat leftovers, cover and steam for 45 minutes or microwave individual slices for 1–2 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 320 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 210mg