Chomeur, French for “unemployed” and pounding for “pudding” was originally known as the poor man’s pudding during the depression. It was created in Quebec Canada by female factory workers. This particular gluten free chomeur pudding is far from a poor man’s dessert. Pound cake-like near the surface, with a pudding texture closer to the bottom, and a maple caramel sauce that is out of this world. I’ve also added an inexpensive alternative recipe in the Tips section.
Note: The coconut milk leaves no flavor of coconut whatsoever.
Gluten Free Chomeur Pudding
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream) (355 ml)
- 1-1/2 cups pure maple syrup (355 ml)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter (153 g) (or dairy-free margarine or refined coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs (or 1/4 cup liquid from a can of cannellini beans + 2 tablespoons extra butter or margarine)
- 1 cup Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (278 g) (or Rice-Free Flour Blend)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder (Rumford)
Instructions
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Set out six 6-ounce ramekins; set aside.
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In a deep saucepan, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for 1 minute. (Note: when the mixture first begins to boil, it may shoot up 3 – 4 inches. So, be sure your saucepan is deep enough.) Set the sauce aside to cool.
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In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. If using a mixer, beat on medium speed for about 4 minutes.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour blend and baking powder; set aside.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after addition until creamy.
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Add the dry mixture as two separate additions, mixing after addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Place the sticky dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes or until firm enough to mold.
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About halfway through chilling, preheat the oven to 425⁰F.
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Divide the dough into three equal portions. If you have a kitchen scale, weight them out to be sure they are equal. This helps them all turn out the same texture.
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Using your hands, roll each piece into a cylinder about the height of your ramekins, the width that would allow about 1/3 inch empty space between the dough and the ramekin, all of the way around. Place a cylinder in the center of each ungreased ramekin. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Pour some sauce over each piece of dough up to 1/2-inch away from the top of each dish. Bake for 20 minutes. The pudding should rise about 1/2 inch or more about the rim of the ramekins.
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While the pudding is baking, heat any leftover sauce over medium heat until it reaches 235⁰F; set aside to cool.
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Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool 30 minutes or until no longer hot. Immediately, using a water-soaked dishcloth or sponge, clean the ramekins from any sauce that has boiled over onto the sides of the dish. Be sure to lift up the ramekin with at least three layers of paper towels or something else thick and clean the bottoms.
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Serve right-side up with additional sauce or turn upside-down onto a plate.
Tips
Inexpensive Version:
To save money, you can replace the maple syrup and coconut milk with 2 cups golden/light brown sugar, 1 cup water, and 1/4 cup butter/margarine. Just heat them together in a saucepan until the butter and sugar melt. Then, pour over the batter and bake. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Lighter Texture:
If you do not caref for a pound cake texture and enjoy lighter cakes, reduced the butter in the cake recipe.