Queen of Puddings is a traditional British pudding that brings together a thick breadcrumb cake custard, raspberry jam and a fluffy crown of meringue. It's easy and delicious.
This easy Queen of Puddings recipe is a simple way to make the traditional British pudding!
Layers of thick breadcrumb custard, raspberry jam and pillowy meringue all come together in a delicious dessert.
This is a wonderful comfort dessert that's enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
Rightly so!
The thickened custard is a great base and the breadcrumbs turn the custard into an almost cake-like texture, with the jam adding a sweet sharpness.
The meringue is a crowning glory on this most regal of desserts.
I hope you enjoy it!
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What is Queen of Puddings?
You may have heard of this traditional dessert on Bake Off or perhaps you've had it before.
It's an old fashioned British pudding - and it's experiencing a bit of a revival!
Queen of Puddings (queens pudding, queen pudding) is easy to make and brings together some of the best components of puds - custard, jam and fluffy baked meringue.
Legend (ie the internet) has it that Queen Victoria was visiting Manchester, tasted a similar breadcrumb custard and meringue pudding and loved it so much that they named it after her.
There are many breadcrumb desserts, from bread pudding to Christmas pudding.
They're a great way to use up stale bread and I often try to reduce food waste by blitzing bread ends and saving them in the freezer.
How to make Queen of Puddings
This is a simple and straightforward dessert to make, but it tastes very special indeed.
You will need 6 ingredients:
Milk - I use full fat/whole milk, but any milk will work. You can also use dairy free.
Breadcrumbs - you can use store-bought or make your own by whizzing a few slices of bread in a food processor or blender.
Caster sugar - aks superfine sugar. It keeps this dessert nice and sweet.
Vanilla - vanilla extract gives a lovely flavor.
Eggs - eggs are divided in this recipe. Yolks make the custard lovely and rich, while the whites are whipped for the crown of meringue.
Raspberry Jam - you can use any flavor, but raspberry is the most traditional in a Queen of Puddings.
Lemon zest - gives a lovely flavor to the breadcrumb custard.
How to make Queen of Puddings
Wondering how to make this recipe? Follow this step by step photo tutorial, then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.
1: Heat the milk, add breadcrumbs, vanilla and lemon zest.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then beat in the egg yolks and pour into the baking dish.
2: Bake for 30 minutes or until the custard is set but still a bit wobbly.
3: Melt the jam in a saucepan slightly, allow to cool a bit and then spread over the baked custard.
4: Beat the egg whites and remaining sugar until stiff and glossy.
5. Spoon onto the jam, right to the edges, and use the back of a spoon to create swirls and peaks.
6. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp of sugar. Bake until golden.
Voila, a dessert fit for a queen.
More British Desserts
If you love queen of puddings, I hope you'll also love these other traditional British dessert recipes too!
Yorkshire Parkin
Bakewell Tart
Coconut Fruit Flan
Chocolate Orange Cake
Chocolate Tiffin
Jammy Dodgers
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Easy Queen of Puddings Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (600ml) milk
- 1 cup (125g) white breadcrumbs (I whizzed stale bread in a food processor)
- ½ cup (100g) caster sugar divided, plus 1 tsp to finish
- 2 tbsp butter plus extra for greasing
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 medium free-range eggs separated and whites reserved for the meringue
- ½ cup (150g) raspberry jam or strawberry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Generously butter a 1.5 litre/9” pie dish.
- Bring the milk in a saucepan just about to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat, then mix in the breadcrumbs, half of the sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
- Leave for approximately 10 minutes to cool and for the breadcrumbs to thicken the custard. Beat in the egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue), then pour the mixture into the prepared pie dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the custard is set, but still wobbles slightly. Leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, melt the jam in a small saucepan, then set aside to cool slightly.
- For the meringue, use an electric whisk to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding the remaining sugar slowly a teaspoon at a time to form a thick and glossy meringue.
- Spread the jam over the custard evenly.
- Starting at the outer edge, spoon the meringue in large heaps over the jam, ensuring that it reaches the edge and is fully covered. With the back of a spoon, delicately tap the meringue to form decorative peaks. (Optionally, you can use a piping bag to pipe the meringue onto the dish). Sprinkle the top with the remaining teaspoon of sugar.
- Return the dish to the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Cathy
Loved this recipe, so glad I tried it. Made some substitutions as I didn’t have breadcrumbs so used a mix of coconut and ground rye flakes. I also reduced the overall quantities to made a mini pudding and really pleased with how it turned out and how it tasted. I don’t really have a sweet tooth so liked the fact that this wasn’t didn’t turn out to be too sweet!