Figgy Pudding

Years back it struck me how demanding the last verse is in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." They are adamant about getting figgy pudding and are not leaving until they get some.

Earlier in December, a coworker sent an email alerting us of traffic closures downtown due to the Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition. It wasn't until that moment that I consciously realized that I had no idea what figgy pudding was. Not long after, NPR echoed the thought in this article from The Salt, 'Oh, Bring Us Some ... ' Wait. What Is Figgy Pudding?

I decided it was high time I made some. While the article shares a recipe that looks pretty traditional, I wasn't excited that it called for mutton fat, raisins, lighting the cake on fire, or aging it for weeks. So I kept searching, and came across this recipe for Warm Sticky Figgy Pudding and liked the look of it better.


Photo from Food Network recipe

I'm happy to report it was delicious. It calls for baking in ramekins which worked great, though you might be able to bake it in a cake pan and cut into squares for easier serving. It's called "pudding" in the British sense, meaning dessert, and it's really more of a sweet bread. The dates make it really moist, and it would be fabulous in a loaf pan and sliced, as you would zucchini or banana bread.

But the warm sauce and whipped cream elevate it to a decadent place fit for holiday indulgence. The only adjustment I would recommend would be to half the sauce recipe. It's pretty sweet so a little bit goes a long way, and there is no way you would use all the sauce for that amount of cake. Enjoy!