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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: An English Cherry Bakewell pudding made with jammy cherries and almond flour, filled with flavor and with a satisfying, dense richness.
A Cherry Bakewell Steamed Pudding is the ultimate comfort dessert. This unbelievably moist cake is flavored using either fresh or frozen cherries, which get baked down to a beautiful, jammy texture, and is made with almond flour, which doesn’t just add to the taste, it helps hold the cake together.
This isn’t your traditional American pudding, which is more custard-like; this steamed pudding is more like a cake. If you’ve never made a traditional English-style pudding, be sure to check out my How To Steam Pudding guide! I walk you through all of the steps and the special equipment necessary.
Oh, and please serve this cake warm with a cool and creamy crème anglaise — you will not be disappointed.
What Is Steamed Pudding?
Steamed pudding, which is very popular in England and Ireland, is cake batter that is steamed rather than baked in an oven. By steaming this cake, you are introducing a lot of moisture instead of using an oven, which uses dry heat and may dry out other types of cake.
Can I Use Frozen Cherries In Cherry Bakewell Pudding?
Yes! Frozen cherries work wonderfully in this pudding as they tend to have a bit more liquid than fresh cherries — though you can use pitted fresh cherries as well — which makes the cake even moister. Fruits are frozen at peak freshness, so if it isn’t the cherry season, frozen might be the best route to go.
Tools You Need To Make Cherry Bakewell Steamed Pudding
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1/2-liter pudding basin
- Steamer basket
- Large stockpot
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment paper
- Foil
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Cherry Bakewell Pudding
- You can use fresh, pitted cherries if you have them, but peak cherry season is brief and frozen cherries work well in this recipe. Make sure yours are pitted and remove the pits if not.
- The batter will look very small, but it rises quite a bit when steamed.
- Make sure to check your water levels and replenish as necessary frequently. I’ll set a timer if I’m busy so I don’t forget!
- Be very careful when checking the pudding for doneness and removing the basin. Steam is very hot and can cause burns.
- My crème anglaise is a classic pairing with steamed puddings, but you can also serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Have you steamed a pudding before? Check out my easy-to-follow step-by-step post on How to Steam A Pudding.
More Recipes!
If you loved this recipe, you’re going to love these, too.
- Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
- Croque Monsieur Savory Bread Pudding
- My Mum’s Christmas Pudding
- Queen of Puddings
- Gorgeous Summer Berry Pudding
- Traditional English Sticky Toffee Pudding
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Try These Recipes!
Cherry Bakewell Steamed Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (5oz/142g) pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)
- 3 tablespoons plus ½ cup (4oz/115g) granulated sugar (divided)
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) butter (softened)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅔ cup (2 ⅔ oz/76g) almond flour
- ½ cup (2 ½oz/71g) self-rising flour
- ½ recipe crème anglaise (for serving)
Instructions
- Fill a large, lidded stockpot with 1-2-inches (2½ - 5cm) of water, place a steamer basket in the pot and turn on the heat to medium-low.
- Butter and flour a ½ liter pudding basin and set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the cherries and 3 tablespoons of sugar until the cherries begin to burst and release their juice. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the remaining ½ cup (4oz/115g) sugar with the butter until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the milk and almond extract and beat until fully combined.
- Finally, fold in the almond flour and the self-rising flour until just fully combined.
- Put about ⅔ of the cherries in the prepared pudding basin (set the remaining aside) and then top with the pudding batter.
- Place a circle of parchment paper directly on the batter and then cover the top of the basin tightly with foil.
- Place the pudding basin onto your steamer basket over the simmering water, lower the heat to low, and place the lid on the stockpot.(Place a kettle of water to boil and replenish the water in the stockpot about every 20 minutes)
- Steam the pudding for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until the pudding feels firm and springs back when pressed.
- Carefully remove the pudding basin from the stockpot, remove the foil and parchment and turn it out onto a serving plate.
- Top the pudding with the reserved cherries and serve warm with a side of crème anglaise. Store leftover pudding in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Rewarm in the microwave or steamer until heated through before serving. (The crème anglaise must be kept refrigerated.)
Marks and sparks used to have a microwave version of a golden syrup “steamed” pudding…. is it possible to do this with this recipe… thoughts on wattage and length of time?
Hi there
Can I use tinned cherries?
I have an old fashioned steamed pudding pan with a lid. It is metal. It was my husbands grandmother’s from County Waterford/ Wexford. Would I do anything different if I used this pan? It’s not a really large one, would probably hold a quart of water if I filled it with water. Just not sure how much batter it would take., or how high I should fill it to.
Thank you
I don’t have self-rising flour, just all purpose. What can I do?
Hi Gemma could I use ground almonds instead of almond flour thankyou.
Would this work with glace cherries as they’re all I have at the moment? Might have to reduce the sugar content!
Looks delicious!