Traditional British Queen of Puddings

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/2/21
Traditional British Queen of Puddings

The Spruce / Ana Zelic

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 6 serving
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
753 Calories
35g Fat
95g Carbs
16g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 753
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35g 45%
Saturated Fat 20g 102%
Cholesterol 277mg 92%
Sodium 334mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 95g 35%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 68g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 10mg 52%
Calcium 191mg 15%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 336mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Queen of puddings is a quintessentially British dessert made of a custardy bread base, fruit, and meringue. This layered concoction begins with a sweet mixture of milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, and fresh breadcrumbs. Fruit is added either to this base or between the base and the meringue top—the choice is yours. Use a thick layer of jam, any fruit preserve, a compote of seasonal fruit, fruit curd, or even marmalade. The pudding is crowned with a soft, chewy, fluffy meringue, making the dessert worthy of its name. Although somewhat royal, this easy-to-make recipe is comforting while not too heavy.

Ingredients

For the Pudding:

  • 1 cup (225 milliliters) milk (whole or full-cream)

  • 1 cup (225 milliliters) cream (double/heavy)

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup (110 grams) sugar (caster/fine)

  • 5 large egg yolks

  • 1 1/3 cups (140 grams) fresh breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 cup lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

  • 1 cup (225 grams) jam (or fruit preserve or fruit compote)

For the Meringue:

  • 5 large egg whites (room temperature)

  • 1/2 cup (110 grams) sugar (caster/fine)

  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

For the Pudding Base

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for a traditional British queen of puddings

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  2. Preheat the oven to 310 F/160 C/Gas 2. Lightly butter a 9 x 2-inch ovenproof pie dish.

    Buttered baking dish

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  3. Place the milk, cream, and vanilla extract into a saucepan.

    Place the milk, cream, and vanilla extract into a saucepan

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  4. Slowly bring to a gentle boil.

    Cook the milk mixture in the saucepan

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  5. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar with the egg yolks until light and fluffy.

    Whisk sugar with egg yolks until light and fluffy

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  6. Still whisking, slowly add the warmed milk and cream to the egg mixture, taking care not to splash.

    Slowly add warmed milk and cream to the egg mixture

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  7. Add the breadcrumbs and the lemon zest and mix to combine.

    Add breadcrumbs and lemon zest to the milk and egg mixture

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  8. Pour the egg and breadcrumb mixture into the dish.

    Egg and breadcrumb mixture in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  9. Bake the pudding for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture rises and is almost set yet still slightly wobbly. Remove the pudding from the oven and set aside to cool.

    Pudding in a baking dish, cooling on a wire rack

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

Make the Meringue

  1. Raise the oven temperature to 375 F/190 C/Gas 5. In a large, clean, metal bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

    Start whisking egg whites

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  2. Whisk in the caster/fine sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.

    Add sugar to the egg whites

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  3. Continue to whisk until meringue is glossy, indicating that the sugar has been completely incorporated.

    Whisk until meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

Assemble and Bake the Pudding

  1. Warm the jam or fruit preserves gently in the microwave or in a pan.

    Jam in a bowl

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  2. Spread the fruit carefully over the cooled base.

    Jam on top of cooled pudding base

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  3. Cover the pudding with a thick layer of meringue.

    Cover pudding with a thick layer of meringue

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  4. Sprinkle the meringue liberally with the confectioners' sugar.

    Sprinkle the meringue liberally with the confectioners' sugar

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  5. Place in the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the surface is crisp and lightly browned.

    Traditional British queen of puddings on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Ana Zelic

  6. Serve immediately.

Making Fresh Breadcrumbs

The term "fresh breadcrumbs" is a bit of a misnomer since you want the bread to be a little stale before processing into crumbs. If you don't have stale bread, you can toast pieces in the oven for about 20 minutes until they are dried out. Then tear up and add to the food processor and blend until coarse crumbs form.

Helpful Links