Maple Pudding Cake

It's always surprising to me when I "discover" a new recipe then I do a google search and see dozens of versions of something that I have never heard about (which apparently has been around forever).   Such is the case with this recipe I came across on The Kitchenista web site.  The Kitchenista folks come to the Union Square market and do wonderful cooking demonstrations, but because they are cooking over a single burner and trying to sell produce their recipes tend to being veggie based - or so I thought, the minute I saw this recipe for Maple Pudding Cake I knew I had to make it.  It was by far the hit of Thanksgiving.  Originally from Quebec Pudding Chomuer is truly ambrosia and has become a instant classic that I will make on a regular basis from here on in.

The recipe says it should be made in an 8" square pan, I made it in a round pie pan.  The picture on Kitchenista shows a perfectly uniform cake mine cooked up with a more segmented aspect.  Don't think it matters because the end result is a wonderful maple treat like I have never encountered before.  And it's really easy to make. Try it, you'll like it!

Maple Pudding Cake

Butter an 8" square pan or round pie plate.  

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a saucepan add 1 1/4 cups of dark grade B Maple Syrup, 3/4 cups of heavy cream, 2 Teaspoons of Apple Cider vinegar and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil then immediately take it off the heat.

In the bowl of standing mixer add 1/3 cup of sugar and 6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter - cream together using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy (minute or so).  Add 1 large egg and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla mix until combined.

In a small bowl add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 cup of cake flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.   Put a fine sieve over the bowl with the butter mixture and pour the dry ingredients in all at once and sift into the butter.

Gently fold together with a spatula until just incorporated.

Pour 1/3 cup of the maple syrup mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Use the spatula to divide the batter into the pan - if you use a square pan it would be 6 mounds (round it'll be 7) pour the rest of the maple syrup mixture over the batter mounds and put into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30.  The syrup will overwhelm the cake mounds, not to worry.

When the cake is done with the top is firm and nicely browned.

Serve warm with unsweetened whipped cream (add a little creme fraiche for an extra jolt of sourness).