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Overhead view of baked pouding chômeur in a square dish, golden cake cracked open over dark bubbling maple sauce.

Classic Quebec Pouding Chômeur with Maple Sauce

A soft vanilla cake baked under a poured hot maple-cream syrup, leaving a caramelized maple sauce underneath once it comes out of the oven.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Calories: 516
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake Batter
  • 190 g all-purpose flour / 1 1/2 cups
  • 150 g granulated sugar / 3/4 cup
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 75 g unsalted butter / 1/3 cup; melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 egg large; room temperature
  • 180 ml whole milk / 3/4 cup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Maple Syrup Sauce
  • 375 ml pure maple syrup / 1 1/2 cups; grade A dark or robust
  • 120 ml heavy cream / 1/2 cup
  • 55 g unsalted butter / 1/4 cup
  • 1 pinch salt

Method
 

Make the Batter
  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Butter a 20 cm / 8-inch square baking dish.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
  3. In a second bowl, whisk the melted butter, egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will be thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Make the Syrup and Bake
  1. Combine the maple syrup, cream, butter, and a pinch of salt in a 1-quart / 1 L saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally, then pull it off the heat right away. Boiling it too long makes the sauce grainy and greasy.
  3. Slowly pour the hot syrup over the batter in the baking dish, pouring over the back of a spoon so it spreads evenly. Do not stir it into the batter.
  4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown, the syrup is bubbling thickly around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean.
  5. Let the dish rest for 15 minutes before serving so the sauce settles. Spoon warm, scooping sauce from the bottom of the dish over each portion.

Notes

  • Use a light-colored metal or glass 20 cm / 8-inch dish so you can see the syrup bubbling at the edges.
  • Don't skip the resting time, the sauce needs a few minutes to settle before serving.
  • Real maple syrup makes a noticeable difference here since it's half the recipe by volume.
  • Keep the syrup moving over medium heat so the butter doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan.