Pouding Chômeur (transl. "Tramp's pudding")

This is a traditional French-Canadian recipe that is very common in Quebec. I continue to be amazed at the strange summersault kind of effect of pouring the boiling sauce on top before baking, and it ends up on the bottom after baking. Oh, and what lovely, taffy-like gooeyness ends up on the bottom!

 

CAKE

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

⅔ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup milk

1½ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

MAPLE SAUCE

1 cup maple Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1. Cream the butter until it becomes pale, then gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Alternately add the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
3. Grease a square baking dish with a little oil and dust with flour. Pour in the batter and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F while making the sauce.
5. To make the sauce, mix together all the maple sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on it! You're boiling sugar, so it will want to boil over. Boil for a less then a minute (I've boiled it for exactly a minute once, and the effect of the sauce was more of a taffy than a sauce. A tasty variation).
6. Pour the sauce over the batter. DO NOT mix. As the cake bakes, the batter will swell and float to the top.
7. Bake for 45 minutes.