Pudding the Fun Back in Dessert: Steamed Puddings You Need to Make at Home and Feed Your Loved Ones

From chocolate-steamed puddings to espresso-steamed puddings, there’s one for everyone. Chocolate makes everything better. And having it in a steamed creation makes it even more delish.

A traditional British Christmas dessert, the steamed puddings surge in popularity as the temperature dips. They range from a variety of prices depending on the ingredients used. A few elements are essential: the mold, whisk, and a colander to put the mold in.

Technically speaking, the halwa and the pudding have no marked difference. But unlike halwas, steamed puddings, are...well, steamed, and not cooked on the stove. Chocolate added to steamed puddings makes them more delicious. But not all desi halwas do well with the addition of chocolate. So why not try your hand and make these classic steamed puddings that do only perform better with chocolate in them?

1. Classic Chocolate Pudding

The ultimate comfort and indulgent dessert, the chocolate pudding becomes healthier when steamed. A generous amount of cocoa powder, butter, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and chocolate pieces come together to create this heavenly delight. This is then poured into a mold and steamed for an hour or two, before being taken off the steamer. The result is that the chocolate mixture sets into a fudgy, moist center surrounded by a thin crust. The interior, when hot, resembles a steaming warm chocolate lava cake.

2. Sticky Toffee Pudding

This pudding uses a generous amount of sweet toffee sauce (caramel) and an unusual ingredient—pitted dates. During steaming, the dates plump and soften throughout the pudding. To serve, the warm pudding is inverted onto a plate and topped generously with a rich toffee sauce. The sauce consists of melted butter, sugar and cream, which are whisked together, then heated until it is thick and caramelized. The dates in the batter soften when steamed, fusing well with the pudding and lending it a sticky texture.

3. Fruit-Filled Pudding

Seasonal fruits come together in this delightful and healthy iteration of a steamed pudding that any fruit-lover will enjoy. Go for fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, or go for classic fruits, like diced apples, pears and peaches. Dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots are excellent options as well. These are chopped and added to the standard pudding batter, then steamed. Garnished with the leftover fruits, this pudding is a visual treat. Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top will make this dessert even more delicious.

4. Banana Bread Pudding

In love with banana bread? Then you will love this steamed pudding. Ripe bananas are mashed and added into a thick batter, along with toasted dry nuts and a dash of vanilla essence. The batter is poured into a prepared pudding basin and steamed until set. Upon removing from the steamer, the pudding is inverted onto a plate to reveal its gorgeous golden brown crust. The sweet flavor of this moist cake-like pudding delightfully unfurls on your tongue. Often, a drizzle of caramel sauce is served alongside to complement the bananas. If you want more indulgence, add a scoop of ice cream on top.

5. Coconut Pudding

Both dry and fresh coconut are used for this unusual pudding. When cut into, the pudding reveals coconut pieces dotted throughout its soft, creamy interior like little shells visible in the sea-bed. As it steams, the coconut takes on a soft texture that is neither too moist nor too dry. It maintains a subtle bite that provides textural contrast to the otherwise smooth pudding. It is often served warm with coconut-infused cream, rum-laced sauce, and at times even chocolate syrup. If you are missing the seaside, this pudding is a must-try.

6. Chocolate Chip Pudding

If you like cookies with chocolate bits in them, you need to taste the chocolate chip steamed pudding. The batter is rich in cocoa, to which chocolate chips are added. If you are making your own, replace milk chocolate with dark chocolate for fewer calories. Warm from the oven, it practically melts in your mouth. Thin layers of fudgy chocolate and cakey pudding alternate throughout. It has a delicious chocolate crust on the outside and remains moist on the inside, even once cooled. This is the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers, second only to the classic chocolate pudding.

7. Choco Espresso Pudding

How can this list be complete without the marriage of coffee and chocolate? The deep, rich notes of coffee complement chocolate's natural sweetness perfectly and make for a complex but delightful dessert experience in every spoonful. Using freshly brewed espresso instead of regular coffee gives the pudding an extra caffeine kick that will perk you up as much as the taste will wake up your taste buds. Even those who don't regularly drink coffee will love how the espresso enhances rather than overwhelms the chocolate in this silky smooth pudding. The deep brown color and intense aroma are as enticing as its luxurious texture, which is creamy yet light.