This Blueberry Pudding recipe comes from Canada and is better known as Blueberry Duff, resulting in a classic steamed pudding that is best served with a thick warm drizzle of custard for a perfect way to finish off Sunday lunch.
Blueberries are native to North America so it feels only natural that a bunch of Canadian recipes revolve around these incredible berries.
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What is Blueberry Pudding?
Traditionally known as Blueberry Duff and made in a big pot alongside salt beef and vegetables for Sunday meals named ‘Jiggs Dinner’. It’s usually served alongside the savory ingredients as a kind of side and served with a rum sauce I’m yet to find the recipe for.
Ingredients and substitutions for Blueberry Pudding
- Sugar: The superfine or caster sugar helps add sweetness to our pudding without adding additional flavors. You could substitute with raw sugar, if you prefer, how
- Plain flour: You don't need much and don't want to overwork the dough so you don't make this too stiff. However, you can substitute with self-raising flour here and leave out the baking powder.
- Butter: Unsalted butter was used, though salted butter can be used in equal measure, however, this could raise the saltiness. You could also substitute with non dairy butter, though I haven't attempted this so cannot say what the final result would be.
- Milk: Whole milk, alongside the melted butter helps bind our pudding together. You could substitute in equal measure with non dairy milk, if you prefer.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen work a charm here, thanks to the length of time to cook the dish.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Blueberry Pudding:
Set the bowl inside your pot: Before anything else, place the bowl you intend to steam the pudding into your pot and ensure it is snug and not touching the bottom.
Get your pot going: Place water into your pot that is at the correct level for your bowl to fit snuggly and set on low to medium.
Stir the dry ingredients: Place all dry ingredients into a bowl and stir together.
Blue pearls: Toss in the blueberries and stir to coat in the flour mix evenly.
1
Pour them in: Add the wet ingredients.
2
Stir: Stir together until the dough has formed
3
Cover: Cover with baking paper and aluminum foil and wrap it all tightly.
Steam: Put the bowl into the simmering pot and cover. Leave for 1 ½ hours.
Remove carefully: Once you peel the greaseproof paper and aluminum foil back, dive a skewer in and the pudding is perfect when it comes out clear.
Invert: Place a plate that covers the top the diameter of the bowl and flip upside down so the pudding so slide out.
Serve: Allow to cool to warm, drizzle over custard or pouring cream and enjoy.
FAQ's for the best Blueberry Pudding
Traditionally made in a pudding bag that is in individual servings, this recipe is conveniently steamed in a large bowl for servings be sliced off.
For optimal results, choose a steaming bowl that is at least ? larger than the uncooked pudding to allow room for it to rise during the cooking process. It's important that the bowl fits snugly against the edges of the pot to prevent any unnecessary movement while steaming.
The best way to tell you is to show you in this video, skip to minute 8 where you'll see how to cover with greaseproof paper and aluminum foil.
Absolutely! If fresh blueberries are not available, frozen blueberries can be used as a substitute in the Blueberry Pudding recipe. Simply thaw and drain the frozen blueberries before incorporating them into the batter.
Yes, you can make Blueberry Pudding ahead of time. Once the pudding has cooled, cover it tightly and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, you can eat it chilled or gently reheat individual portions in the microwave or oven.
More blueberry recipes you'll love
Blueberry Pudding
Ingredients
- 150 grams / ¾ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 400 grams / 2 ½ cups plain flour
- 8 grams / 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 285 grams / 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- 75 grams / ⅓ cup butter melted
- 177 milliliters / ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Before you do anything, make sure the bowl you will be using to make the steamed pudding fits well into your pot with water in it (you want it be a little snug so it doesn’t bounce around in the simmering water).
- With your prepared pot to steam the pudding in (see note), place on low to medium heat with the lid on.
- Place the flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl and stir together.
- Add the blueberries and stir to coat them through the dry mixture and make a well in the center.
- Pour the melted butter, milk and vanilla extract into the well and stir to combine until a dough is formed.
- Lightly grease the edges of your bowl.
- Spoon the dough into your bowl and smooth out on top.
- Measure out greaseproof baking paper that has at least 2 inches overhang on the edges of the bowl. Measure out aluminum foil that has at least 2 ½ inches overhang.
- Lay the greaseproof paper down on your work bench and lay the aluminum foil on top ensuring it covers the greaseproof paper completely.
- Lay the greaseproof and aluminum foil on top of the pudding (greaseproof side down) and press firmly to tighten the edges all around your pudding bowl.
- Place the covered pudding in your pot for 1 hour 40 minutes with the lid on.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and carefully unwrap.
- Test it is fully cooked through with a skewer.
- Invert onto your serving plate.
- Slice and serve while warm with custard.
Video
Notes
- Traditionally: Blueberry Duff is made in a pudding bag that would be individual servings, however due to pudding bags not being common outside of Canada the recipe was steamed in a bowl for servings be sliced off.
- Size of pot this steamed pudding was cooked in: My pot allows 6 ½ liters and I had water up to the 2 liter mark for my bowl to fit securely therein.
- Covering your bowl correctly before steaming: If you are unsure on how to cover the pudding bowl with greaseproof paper and aluminum foil, skip to minute 8 of this video.
- You can make this ahead of time: Yes, you can make Blueberry Pudding ahead of time. Once the pudding has cooled, cover it tightly and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, you can eat it chilled or gently reheat individual portions in the microwave or oven.
Nutrition
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Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Suz
Can you microwave this recipe?
Sylvie Taylor
Hi Suz,
I've done a little research and it looks like this can be microwaved. All the suggestions are to microwave on high for approximately 6 minutes, however, the size of the cakes in the recipes was smaller, such as individual servings. Microwaving the full pudding might take around 15-20 minutes depending on the wattage. I personally have not tried this method so cannot say what the final result will be. Do let me know what the finished dish is like, if you choose to microwave the pudding 🙂