At least, wild plum pudding is back by popular demand at our house this Thanksgiving. My sister is bringing this delicious dessert made from an heirloom recipe passed down through generations on Mom’s side of the family. Here’s the recipe, which appeared last year at Deborah Vogts blog, Country at Heart Recipes.
Wild Plum Pudding
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup canned wild plums (or canned tart pie cherries) – pit, drain and keep juice
Pudding: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar, butter and eggs. Combine dry ingredients (flour, soda, and spices) and alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to creamed mixture. Carefully fold in plums. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 35 – 45 minutes.
Plum Sauce: Drain plum juice into a two cup measuring cup. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and enough water to equal two cups. (My sister adds ¼ cup rum in place of some of the water.) Pour into a sauce pan. Blend together 1 cup brown sugar and 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch. Add to liquid in pan and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. To serve: Cut into squares and serve with warm plum sauce.
*FYI for non-dairy readers: Substitute a cup of soured almond milk (top off a scant cup of almond milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar and let sit 15 minutes) and use coconut oil or butter substitute for the shortening. You’ll never know the difference between this variation and the original recipe.
