Old-fashioned holiday spiced steamed pudding served with hard sauce.

Old Fashioned Steamed Pudding

Pudding:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Hard Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar - divided use
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon shredded lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, salt and cloves. Stir to mix well.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, molasses, milk and butter; mix well.
3. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture. Gently fold in pecans.
4. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8-cup fluted tube pan. Cover pan with foil; if necessary, tie the foil securely in place with string.
5. Place pan on a rack in a deep kettle; add boiling water to a depth of 1-inch. (Water should not touch the pan.) Cover kettle; adjust heat so water boils gently. Steam pudding 1 1/4 hours or until wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Add more water as necessary to maintain 1-inch depth.)
6. Remove pan from kettle; let stand 10 minutes. Invert pan over a wire rack; carefully unmold pudding. Let pudding stand on wire rack for 30 to 40 minutes before serving.
7. To serve, place pudding on a serving platter; with a pastry bag, pipe Hard Sauce on platter around pudding.
8. For Hard Sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, whipping cream, lemon peel and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Add remaining 1 cup powdered sugar; beat until smooth.

Makes 12 servings.

Recipe provided courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.