Pudding au Chomeur
Updated on September 7, 2024 by Rodney • This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. • 1 Comment • Jump to Recipe
Pudding au Chomeur is a delicious Canadian classic that translates to “unemployed man’s pudding”. A maple syrup-infused cake soaking in caramel sauce.
This Pudding au Chomeur recipe is another classic French Canadian recipe that has been around forever. It apparently dates all the way back to the start of the Great Depression circa 1930.
Since this recipe has been around for almost 100 years having been passed along from generation to generation, there are many variations to the ingredients and the methods used to make it.
The idea behind this classic recipe is that it is a very easy but also super affordable way to make a sweet dessert. The ingredients for this recipe were super cheap back then!
The word pudding is self-explanatory but for those of you who don’t speak French, the word Chomeur in English means “unemployed person”, which explains the use of simple cheap ingredients.
Recipe Variation
The more traditional approach (and my preferred method) to making this recipe is to place the batter in the baking dish and pour the partially cooled syrup mixture over it before baking. The cake will be more thoroughly soaked if you use this method.
A less traditional way is to bake the cake first without the topping then pour the mixture over the cooled cake. Equally delicious!
Equipment Needed
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this recipe.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Pudding au Chomeur recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Milk – I use 2% milk for this recipe
- Eggs – used as a leavening agent, helping the cake to rise
- Vanilla Extract – you can use store-bought or my Instant Pot Homemade Vanilla Extract or my Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour – I use unbleached flour for this recipe
- Unsalted Butter – if you use salted butter omit the additional salt listed on the recipe card
- Baking Powder – required to make the cake rise and fluffy
- White Sugar – or a white sugar substitute of your choice
- Salt – used to enhance all the flavors
- Maple Syrup – use the best pure maple syrup you can find
- Light Brown Sugar – you can also use dark brown sugar
- Heavy Whipping Cream – used to help make the topping nice and thick
How to Make Pudding au Chomeur
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Add the rest of the cake ingredients into the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. The batter will be a little thick.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the topping ingredients until melted.
- Let the mixture cool partially then pour the mixture slowly over the batter. It’s normal that some of the batter may bubble to the top depending on how hot the topping is.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes.
- Optionally serve with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream or serve it as is.
More Recipe Ideas
Printable Recipe Card
Pudding au Chomeur
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ Cup Milk
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅔ Cups All Purpose Flour
- ⅔ Cups Unsalted Butter, melted
- 3 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- ⅛ Tsp Salt
Topping
- 2 Cups Maple Syrup
- ½ Cups Light Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ Tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Add the rest of the cake ingredients into the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. The batter will be a little thick.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the topping ingredients until melted.
- Let the mixture cool partially then pour the mixture slowly over the batter. It's normal that some of the batter may bubble to the top depending on how hot the topping is.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes.
- Optionally serve with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream or serve it as is.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for this recipe is based on 1 serving. This information is an estimate and may vary based on several factors. If nutritional information is important to you and your diet, please verify this recipe with a Registered Dietitian.