Cherries & Cooking in Saucers: Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding
Cherries & Cooking in Saucers:
Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding
Cherries & Cooking in Saucers: Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding
Britain is a nation of puddings, from steamed treacle sponge and Spotted Dick to Bakewell pudding and jam roly poly, we revel in our baked and steamed sweet concoctions. There are cake style puddings, steamed sponge puddings, baked tarts – sticky with syrups and studded with dried fruits and jams……and then there are the old-fashioned batter puddings such as pancakes, Yorkshire puddings, Tewkesbury puddings and Kentish cherry batter pudding. Many of these traditional batter puddings used to be baked in saucers, and so for my recipe today, I am sharing a much-loved cherry dessert that is baked in saucers…….my version of a Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding, not quite a true batter pudding, but somewhere between a light sponge cake and a batter pudding, which is perfect when baked in small plates or saucers for a simple, seasonal sweet treat.
Kentish Cherry Batter Puddings
You can use any fruit that is in season, but a true Kentish batter pudding will be made with cherries and apple juice, two of the Kent’s most popular fruits, and ones that they are most famous for, as well as their hops of course. My recipe is a cake-style batter pudding, as I prefer a more spongy texture, but for a traditional cherry batter pudding there is an excellent recipe here: Cherry Batter Pudding by Mark Hix This is an “easy peasy” recipe that is fun to serve to family and friends in the saucers, along with the obligatory bowl of thick cream, and maybe a few extra fresh cherries on the side. You don’t have to bake them in saucers, but I think it adds to the drama and the size is just perfect for a light dessert – plus it’s nice to resurrect a little bit of British baking tradition.
Bowl of Cherries
The recipe for my Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding is shared below and now is the perfect time to make one of these wee desserts, as it’s cherry season in England. Excuse the short post today – we have friends we have not seen for over ten years staying with us and we have been enjoying the sunshine with day trips out, as well as lots of al fresco dining, and a few glasses of wine too! See you later on in the week with more new recipes…….have a great day, Karen
Kentish Cherry Batter Puddings
Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding
Print recipe
| Serves | 6 to 8 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Milk |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Dessert |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 120g flour
- 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g melted unsalted butter
- 250ml single cream (or full-fat milk)
- 50ml apple juice
- 450g fresh cherries (pitted)
Note
My more cake-like version of the famous Kentish Cherry Batter Puddings. baked as they would have been in the old days, in saucers or small plates. These little batter puddings are similar to French clafoutis and are delectable, as well as being easy to make for a summer dessert. Serve them dredged in icing sugar and with a bowl of thick cream on the side.
Directions
| Step 1 | Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6 and butter 6 to 8 large saucers or side plates. (Or, an oven-proof dish, 12 hole muffing tin or a Yorkshire pudding tin) |
| Step 2 | Put the flour with a pinch of salt into a large bowl and add the beaten eggs in the middle, mix in gradually with a wooden spoon before adding the sugar, mix well. |
| Step 3 | Add the melted butter, cream and apple juice and mix until all the ingredients have amalgamated and the batter is smooth and glossy. Make sure you beat lots of air into the mixture. |
| Step 4 | Scatter the pitted cherries over the sauces, or any other baking containers you are using and carefully spoon or pour the batter over the cherries. |
| Step 5 | Place the saucers onto a baking tray and bake them for about 30 minutes, or until the puddings have risen and are fluffy and light. |
| Step 6 | Serve warm with a sprinkling of icing sugar and some thick cream. |
Kentish Cherry Batter Puddings
Kentish Cuisine
Kentish beer
Before the 16th century, ale was very popular in Kent, being made primarily from honey and malt. A new brewing recipe based on hops, which up to that point had been used solely for cooking, was then attempted and proved successful. Hop beer had the quality of excellent preservation, and although at first it was not accepted by local authorities and was banned from public consumption, in time it established its place on the market, which it still holds today through reputable brands. Hop beer is served in pubs all over Kent and is considered one of its most particular products. Visitors can try local beer and other drinks at the Kentish Beer Festival, which takes place annually in Canterbury, between the 20th and 22nd of June.
Seafood
Kentish oysters. Although there are a few other locations in the UK where oysters can be found, the primary source in the whole country is the municipality of Whitstable, where oyster commerce has been attested as a prosperous trade for over four centuries. The Whitstable Oyster Festival is celebrated yearly and is appreciated by many as a colourful local event.
Angels on Horseback. This is the name of a Kentish speciality consisting of oysters and bacon rashers, which are grilled together and then served on buttered toast.
Desserts
Folkestone Pudding Pie. It is also referred to as Lenten pie and is basically a rice and milk filling enclosed in a pie pastry. As the name suggests, it was meant for consumption during Lent periods, which restrict certain foods on religious grounds.
Canterbury Pudding. There are a number of distinctive recipes for this dish, but it mainly consists of breadcrumbs, pastry ingredients, brandy, milk and lemon juice. A variation with no breadcrumbs exists yet it is said to be rather dry.
Ginger Cobnut Cake. This cake is made with pastry ingredients, plus grated ginger and cobnuts, or alternatively hazelnuts. It is relatively easy to make and requires little baking time.
Cherry Batter Pudding. Akin to many puddings, it is made with ground cereals (wheat flour and corn flour), sunflower oil, eggs, milk, and of course, cherries and apple juice. Cherries are a traditional ingredient for many Kentish desserts.
Other products
Huffkins. Huffkins are traditional bakery products resembling bread rolls yet with a specific consistency, which take longer to prepare than similar modern bakery products, which are customised to meet the speedy production requirement. They are renowned for their softer texture and are customarily served with fruit based products such as jams.
Kentish Cobnuts: Image – Slow Food
This looks so lovely – I just bought some great cherries yesterday so I shall be making this very soon – thanks Karen 🙂
Thanks Patricia, I hope you enjoy these little saucer puddings as much as we did! Karen
Wow, great article Karen. Beautiful photos, super topic and an awesome recipe…. that I may have to try <3
Thanks so much Gerry! Karen 🙂
I’ve always been a bit afraid to put my saucers in the oven, despite seeing recipes for saucer puddings in many of my old cookbooks. However, I’ve got the same pattern you have (the green multi) so I guess my stuff will work!
Most china, apart from bone china, is fine when baked in a moderately hot oven Lauren! I do hope you give these cherry batter puddings a go! Karen
I’ve never seen this method of cooking before but it looks like the ideal oven-to-table idea server!
Exactly Laura! NO excess washing up and an oven to table dessert!
These sound lovely – I’d never have thought to bake in saucers!
Thanks Corina! 🙂
This looks delicious & such pretty photos. Do you use plain or SR flour in this recipe? Thanks Laura
OH sorry Laura, it was plain flour, I will add that to the recipe! Karen
Shared
Thanks Keshia!
Karen, thanks for a beautiful dessert and the great information! My husband is a Man of Kent, and I’m always on the lookout for recipes and cookery lore from his county. Thanks again!
Thanks Donna! I am so pleased that you like this dessert and maybe your Man of Kent will ask you to make it! Karen
Utterly gorgeous! I might be hugely bias as it’s my home county but I firmly believe you won’t get a better cherry than a Kentish cherry! Love the bit on the end about other historical Kent dishes; I made huffkins the other week, they have a little dimple in the top which holds in fruit they are served with.
Thanks so much Hannah! I love recipes from Kent, and especially Huffkins and these cherry batter puddings! Karen
I don’t quite get round to doing puddings like these very much. But I do like cherries so I should try this one.
It’s such a simple recipe Bintu and the children would love them too!
What a beautiful recipe Karen. I’ve never heard of this before and it sounds like such a great way to make the most of cherries at their best!
Thanks so much Caroline! I love traditional recipes like this and they are so easy to make too! Karen
you just have this knack of making everything look stunning… I want this now please… with lashings of cream. x
Thanks Dom! And a big yes to lashings of cream too! Karen
Love this idea Karen, but always petrified of china cracking up in the oven. A Kentish clafoutis I didn’t know about.
Thanks Choclette! China is fired at very high temperatures, as you know, so not much chance that it will crack in a fairly low oven, UNLESS it is bone china of course! 😉
My kind of dessert, nice and easy…though I think my mum would turn in her grave if she caught me using her antique saucers!
Yes, NOT a great idea to use very good quality antique saucers Fiona! 😉
As soon as the cherries on my allotment are ready, I’m going to be all over this! Thanks for sharing
Glad you were inspired by this lovely old recipe Bethan! Karen
oh wow, this looks amazing!
Thanks so much Dina!
I love baking with cherries! This looks like such a unique and delightful dessert.
Thanks so much Laura! I love old heirloom recipes like this!
Yum I’ve shared, reminds me of a pudding I had in florida!
Thanks Felicity! I hope you manage to try this yourself too!
Yummy I’ve shared I’m a sucker for a good pudding.
looks delicious! my mouth is watering.
sounds delicious
Hi Karen, about what size saucers are these? I think UK and US sizes may differ in circumference and depth.
Thanks so much!
I am not sure I can help, as saucer sizes vary in the UK too – any size saucer will be fine, but make sure they are on the bigger side.
Thank you. I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear – I was asking the size of the saucers in your photos. They are so pretty!
They range from small to large, an assortment!