“At home, my food is just sort of comfort food. It’s not super fancy, but it’s certainly tasty.”–Anne Burrell
When I read the above quote by TV celebrity chef Anne Burrell, I realized I do not know much about who she is or the type of foods she likes; her words simply resonated with me. Therefore, I am not sure if my idea of comfort food is the same as hers, but most of my favorite comfort foods are budget-friendly, including the recipe from my childhood I am sharing with you today. I think this recipe is especially comforting on cool evenings like the ones we experience during the fall time of the year.
I grew up surrounded by women who knew how to cook, what I considered comfort food, and it was definitely low-cost. Two of these women, my grandmothers, came of age during the depression and the World War 2 era that followed, so you know they had to learn to manage with few resources. And though my own mom did not grow up during such challenging circumstances, as the mother of four children, she definitely had to learn to cook as inexpensively as possible.
Cooking on a budget does not have to equate with not eating well. Some of the best and healthiest foods are quite often budget friendly–although I know this recipe is an exception with regards to “healthy.”. In fact, this recipe uses common ingredients most of us have on hand if we bake with any regularity.
As best as I can tell, based upon my limited research, this recipe originated in the mid-1800s in North America. “Cottage,” refers to the fact that the recipe was considered simple and affordable for common farmers and laborers of the time period. “Pudding” is a word that dates back to England, and it was, and still sometimes is, used to refer to any dessert. However, given this cake is served with a sauce, lending it somewhat mushy, perhaps the word pudding was intentional.
Regardless of its history, I believe there is a time and place for celebratory, comfort food, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to make it. This simple dessert is one my mom used to make on rare, but special occasions for the family when I was younger. In fact, it was often made in honor of birthdays or other special events.
I remember feeling excited as a youth when this was served. Perhaps, it was the warm syrup served on top of it that made it feel special as if we were eating a thick, dense pancake for dessert. Then, again, maybe because with six of us eating–four of which were kids, and only nine servings–I knew I had better enjoy and savor the dessert on the day it was made. (There certainly weren’t any leftovers that I can recall.) Plus, there was that simple vanilla flavor that was warm, comforting, and oh-so-tasty.
I was reflecting on my impending birthday when this recipe came to mind. I rooted around my old recipe box and dug this oldie-but-goodie recipe card. Since I had not baked it since well before my diagnosis of celiac disease, it occurred to me that I should create a gluten-free variation to celebrate my birthday.
(My celiac disease went undiagnosed until my late 40s, so my mom would not have known I needed a gluten-free variation. Besides, celiac disease was not really well-known/understood in the era in which I was raised.)
I hope you will give this simple recipe a try. The cake is quite similar to shortbread, or an old-fashioned biscuit–so it lends itself to a wide-array of toppings. It’s traditionally served with a glaze or custard sauce, but you could certainly use any fruit toppings, or other traditional sauces, such as brown butter, caramel, lemon, or chocolate. I certainly came across several recipe variations for sauces.
Cut this cake into nine pieces. Serve the cake warm and then drizzle plenty of sauce over it. Feel free to poke holes in the top of each piece before drizzling with syrup, as we used to do as kids, to soak up the maximum amount of syrup. It’s perfect with a cup of hot coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or even milk–if that’s your thing.
From my home to yours, I wish you stories and memories filled with comfort food.
Cottage Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups flour, gluten free if needed
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup soft shortening
¾ cup sugar
1 egg or plant–based egg substitute
1 tablespoon vinegar
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch (ensure it’s from a gluten free facility it needed)
2 cups water
2 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup butter, can be vegan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare 9×9 baking with nonstick cooking spray
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl
In a mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy
Beat in egg and vinegar until mixture is creamed together
Measure milk into cup and stir vanilla extract into it
Mixing slowly, add in about ⅓ flour mixture and ½ milk mixture
Once incorporated, add in another ⅓ flour mixture and rest of milk mixture
Add in remaining flour mixture until batter is smooth and well blended
Spread into prepared pan
Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving with warm sauce
Makes 9 servings
To make the sauce:
Meanwhile, mix sugar and cornstarch together in a pan over medium heat
Gradually stir in water
Bring to a rolling boil for one minute, stirring constantly
Stir in butter and vanilla extract
Once butter has melted and all ingredients are blended, sauce is ready to serve
Save leftover in airtight container in refrigerator
Warm sauce to serve over cake whenever eating leftovers
This sauce makes great syrup for pancake, waffle, or french toast
Steph Simply 