Simple Pudding With Pineapple
This easy, low cost pineapple pudding recipe came from a Yorkshire WI recipe book printed in 1931! I was so excited to find the book as it has 600 recipes in it and most have no more than 6 ingredients and not very many instructions. The women who used these books had busy lives – perhaps differently busy from the ones we lead today. I certainly think we can learn something from them in our quest for easy to cook recipes with cheap ingredients but tasty too!
A delightful pineapple dessert recipe from a 1930s WI cookbook! They knew a thing or two about low cost, easy recipes back then
For my first recipe to make from the book I chose this Pineapple dessert. My choice was partly because I had a tin of pineapple in the cupboard. But also I had not come across a pineapple pudding quite like it before. Many puddings we have now are considered ‘traditional’ such as Treacle Pudding, Rice Pudding and Apple Crumble but I am sure some lovely pudding recipes may have got lost in the ether of time – and may be this is one of them.
WI Recipes
Several of the recipes in the book are not quite as specific as recipes are today. Maybe people had more knowledge such as how to feel how hot the oven was by putting a hand in it. Or may be because people adapted the recipe according to what they had in the cupboard, in times when ingredients may have been less available.
For example the original recipe for this pineapple pudding says 2oz or 3oz of butter without any explanation of why. Probably it simply means really that although 3ozs are best 2ozs is fine if that is all you can spare. The recipe also suggests a pint of pineapple juice and milk together without specifying the relative quantities. I have interpreted the recipe and recorded how I see the final recipe as I made it.
These days I think people can be be put off from doing a recipe if they do not have the exact ingredients. Whereas in many cases a recipe can be used as a starting point or as an idea and adapted to what you have in your cupboards or indeed to your own tastes.
Low Sugar Pineapple Pudding
There is a relatively small amount of sugar in this recipe. Most surprisingly the topping is whipped egg whites. You might have expected it to be a meringue type topping but this is just egg whites with no sugar. Puddings with pineapple need only a small amount of sugar as the fruit itself provides plenty of sweetness.
Simple Ingredients For a Tasty Pudding
This is the sort of pudding that can be made at short notice as it is made from store cupboard items (if you generally buy tinned pineapple) since it is made from eggs, flour, milk and sugar plus the pineapple. Many of the recipes in the cookery book are like that as I think our Grandmothers knew how to make delightful meals – both savoury and sweet, from basic ingredients
More Recipes
Pineapple Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1x 450 g tin pineapple pieces
- 85 g butter
- 55 g flour
- 55 g sugar
- 3 eggs separated
- 1/2 pint or more to make juice and milk total 1 pint
- juice from tin of pineapples
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees C
- Grease a pie or baking dish
- Drain the juice in the pineapple tin and measure it and measure some milk to make the total liquid 1 pint (568ml)
- Place the pineapple pieces in the dish
- Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a saucepan
- Sprinkle on the flour and add the milk stirring continuously until smooth
- Cook for 2 minutes
- Remove from heat and add the pineapple juice, sugar and egg yolks
- Stir until smooth
- Pour over the pineapple pieces
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pineapple custard is set
- Beat the egg whites until they are stiff
- Spoon over the top of the custard to completely cover it
- Return to the oven for 10 minutes or until browning on top
- Serve hot or cold
My grandmother made this favourite pudding. In those days it was possible to buy tinned pineapple in heavy syrup. In this case it was possible to use less sugar so the end result was the same but the
pineapple flavour was better .
The custard did not set
Oh I am sorry. You have just given me an excuse to try the recipes again for myself to check it! I will report back….
We made something similar in school. You can substitute the pineapple with oranges.
In your recipe book is there something for jam slices? It was a very easy tray bake I learnt at school. I am keen to find the recipe again. All the ones I’ve found online so far don’t measure up!
No jam slices yet but I will put it on the list of recipes to try!
Dear Penny
I had leftover fresh pineapple and used it instead of tinned. Great recipe. I would love to see more of the 600 recipes that were in the 1930 book you found. I love old, old recipes. Is there any way I can receive them. I don’t really need a meal planner, etc. I am cooking for one and have been cooking since 8th grade for a family of eight which means over 42 years. I simply like older recipes that also have a great history.
Pamela
Hi Ithis was a great recipe I’m almost sure I had something similar in school. When I made it I added some castor sugar and dessicated coconut to the merang, and it went down really well with the family
Me again! I asked my mum her recipe and it’s fairly similar, although she puts 2ounces of sugar into the whipped egg whites to make it meringue. The recipe is one that gran used to make and back then it was called pineapple slosh. Apparently it was us that renamed it as children…I googled that briefly and all I found was alcoholic beverages…. Anyway, there you go!
This looks a lot like pineapple fluffy duff to me, mum used to make it all the time for us as kids. We are yorkshire, maybe she just made the name up?!
That’s interesting – wonder if it is a recipe that used to be well known. I tried googling pineapple fluffy duff but couldn’t really find anything so may have been a name used just in the family – great name though – I am tempted to rename this recipe :-)!