Carrot Cake Steamed Pudding

, from Issue #92. August, 2020
Photography by Olivia Galletly.
Carrot Cake Steamed Pudding

Pour the caramel sauce over the dessert as you serve it; it looks incredible cascading down the sides. Best eaten with custard or vanilla ice cream.

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

Steamed pudding
110 grams butter, softened
210 grams soft brown sugar
2 large eggs, size 7
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
180 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon each baking soda and ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon each ground ginger and mixed spice
¼ teaspoon each ground cloves and salt
2 medium Agria potatoes, peeled
2 medium carrots, peeled
¼ cup tinned crushed pineapple in juice
75 grams raisins
70 grams walnuts, roughly chopped

Whisky caramel sauce
180ml granulated sugar
¼ cup water
¾ cup cream, warmed
35 grams butter, cubed
1 tablespoon whisky
pinch sea salt

METHOD

Equipment: Butter the inside of a 2.8-litre pudding steamer or basin.

Pudding: Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.

Sift in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Grate the potato and squeeze out any liquid, then grate the carrot and add both to the pudding batter. Fold through the remaining ingredients.

Pour the batter into the pudding steamer, top with a circle of baking paper and place the lid on tightly. If using a pudding basin, top with baking paper and tinfoil and secure tightly with string.

Place a small wire rack or a cloth in the base of a large pot. Put the pudding on top and pour in enough water to reach roughly halfway up the side of the pudding basin. Simmer with the lid on for 3½ hours. Regularly top up with water up as needed.

Caramel sauce: Place the sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over a moderate heat for 15 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and has turned a golden amber. Swirl the saucepan regularly and brush the sides with a wet pastry brush but do not stir. Remove from the heat, add the cream and butter and stir to combine. If the caramel doesn’t come together, return to the heat and stir until well combined.

Remove from the heat, stir through the whisky and salt and set aside to cool and thicken slightly. Just before serving, return to the heat to warm up. Pour the warmed caramel sauce over the pudding as you serve.