Cottage Pudding

Cottage Pudding is considered a traditional American dessert which first appeared in print in the 1860s. The 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer (which is still available for purchase) lists a cottage pudding among the many dessert recipes. Cottage pudding was typically served with a topping or sauce. Possible toppings include fruit, chocolate, vanilla sauce, or custard. Mrs. Macculloch did not include a recipe for the topping in her family cook book. Below the adapted Cottage Pudding recipe, we have included a suggested modern recipe for an accompanying sauce.

Original Cottage Pudding Recipe
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 pint of flour
1/8 pound of butter
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons full of cream tartar in the flour
1 teaspoon on soda in the milk

Adapted Cottage Pudding Recipe
1 egg
1 cup of milk, room temperature
2 cups of flour
4 tablespoons of butter (2 ounces) softened
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add egg. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk slowly to egg mixture to combine. Pour batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Brown Sugar Sauce*
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Blend flour, brown sugar and salt in small pot. Gradually stir in water and butter. Cook on medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over slices of cottage pudding and serve.

*Brown Sugar Sauce from food.com.

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Resources

• Take a look at an alternative recipe for cottage pudding.
• Revolutionarypie.com compares different early cottage pudding recipes and shares the results.