Traditional Winter Puddings: How To Go Back To The Baking Old School

Dark, chilly nights make us want to snuggle up in front of the telly and eat comfort food.

And while sorbets and posh ice creams are great in the summer, in winter we crave something a bit more traditional and warming. We’ve rounded up ten classic pudding recipes that’ll warm you up whatever the weather’s doing outside.

Treacle Tart
Achingly sweet, soft and with a crumbly pastry base, what’s not to love about treacle tart? It can be made with either black treacle or golden syrup, and Angie, from the blog Angie’s Recipes has come up with a version that also has the warming flavours of apple and ginger. She suggests serving it with either fresh cream or custard.

Rhubarb Crumble
You can put many fruits into a crumble but is there really anything better - and more traditional - than rhubarb? Rhubarb gives the pudding a gorgeous colour and some tartness too, which is always good, especially when the topping itself is quite sweet. Cue Cindy from the blog Hungry Girl Por Vida, who has updated the traditional rhubarb crumble by adding a brown butter topping. Beautiful.

Bread Pudding
A very different thing to bread and butter pudding, bread pudding is basically bread that’s mixed with milk, eggs, dried fruits and spices and then baked until golden and set. It’s probably one of our oldest puddings and is a pretty delicious way of using up stale bread. Here, Gina Ferrari of the blog Fan My Flame keeps it traditional, adding in currants and raisins. It’s super easy, too - if you’ve never made it, do give it a try.

Sussex Pond Pudding
OK, so the name might sound a bit dubious. But Sussex Pond Pudding is actually a real treat and you only need to look at the ingredients to figure out why: suet pastry, brown sugar, butter, a whole lemon. It gets its name (most probably) from the puddle of sauce that the steamed pudding ends up sitting in once it is cut. Check out the Graphic Foodie for the recipe.

Jam Roly Poly
Some of the best puddings are brilliant because they are simple to make, and this is definitely one of them. You just roll soft, sweet dough into a rectangle, smear with jam and then roll it up. Bake it for 25 minutes and it’s ready for you to sink your teeth into, preferably cut into slices with some home-made custard. With Love, Meg has an easy to follow recipe.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Chai Custard
Well we can all thank dietician and nutritionist Caroline, from the blog Healthy Home Cafe for creating a healthier version of sticky toffee pudding. With less fat and sugar and more fibre, her recipe also comes with a spiced toffee sauce and chai custard, flavoured with cardamom and clove. A retro pud with a modern twist.

Trifle
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than trifle - and just check out these beauties, by Ingrid of the blog The Cozy Apron. She’s called them ‘Party in a Glass Parfaits’ and they contain raspberries, cream and cake along with orange and raspberry liqueur. Special occasion? Not necessary. Pass us a spoon.

Parkin
Dark and sticky, parkin is made using black treacle and ginger, along with other warm, aromatic ingredients. It actually gets better a few days after being made, too. A perfect pud to nibble on with a hot cup of tea. Check out the blog Culinary Ginger for the recipe.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
Two puddings for the price of one (sort of). Kelly from the blog Just a Taste has created this rice pudding dish with a sugary crust, so it’s like a rice pudding with a crème brûlée topping. Genius, right? Get the recipe on her website.

Lardy Cake
This has got to be one of the most comforting traditional sweet treats ever made. Yes, the traditional version has layers of pork fat baked into it, but that’s what makes the cake turn crisp and succulent once it’s baked. Still not too keen on baking with pork lard? Then check out this modern version, made by Jamie from the blog Life’s a Feast. It uses butter instead, which she says gives “a fresher, more modern twist on the Lardy Cake.”

Have we missed any of your favourites? Share them with us below.

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