Plum & Fig Pudding

This holiday pudding is a baked custard loaded with dried California figs, raisins, chopped walnuts, and crumbled waffle-cream cookies. The cookies dissolve into the milk and egg custard as it bakes, creating a texture that’s somewhere between bread pudding and a dense, spiced cake.

Cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg give the pudding a deeply spiced, almost Christmas-like warmth. The cocoa doesn’t make it taste like chocolate. Instead, it adds a subtle bitterness that keeps all the dried fruit sweetness in check and gives the finished pudding a rich, dark color.

Baking in a water bath (the casserole sits in a pan of hot water) is what keeps this pudding silky and moist instead of dry and rubbery. The water regulates the temperature around the custard, cooking it gently and evenly from all sides.

Chef Tips

• Soak the figs in hot water for the full 10 minutes before snipping. Hydrated figs cut easily and distribute evenly. Dry figs are tough and clump together.
• Cut the raisins into thirds as directed. Whole raisins sink to the bottom. Smaller pieces distribute throughout the custard and melt into the texture.
• The pudding is done when it’s “set” but still has a slight jiggle in the center. It firms up more as it cools.
• Hard sauce (butter, powdered sugar, and brandy or vanilla beaten together) is the traditional accompaniment and adds a rich, boozy contrast to the warm, spiced pudding.

Variations

• Date and fig pudding: Replace the raisins with chopped dates for an even sweeter, more caramel-like flavor.
• Brandy-soaked figs: Soak the figs in brandy instead of water for a more spirited, holiday-worthy version.