Recipe: Baked Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce

BAKED PLUM PUDDING WITH HARD SAUCE

FOR THE PLUM PUDDING:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup pecans
flour (for dusting fruit and nuts)
2 cups plain breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
FOR THE HARD SAUCE:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 to 5 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 tablespoon coffee, rum, whisky, brandy, or lemon juice)
1 egg or 1/4 cup Cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a tube pan or 2 quart baking dish.

Beat 1/2 cup butter until soft. Gradually add the sugar and blend until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time; set aside.

In a bowl, combine raisins, currants, and pecans and sprinkle lightly with flour. Add these ingredients to the butter mixture; set aside.

Combine breadcrumbs, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; stir these ingredients into the butter mixture. Place batter in prepared pan or baking dish.

Bake for about 1/2 hour.

Serve with about 1 cup Hard Sauce.

TO MAKE THE HARD SAUCE:
Beat butter until soft; add sifted powdered sugar gradually. Beat well until ingredients are well blended. Add the 1/8 teaspoon salt and flavoring. Beat in the egg or cream. Continue to beat until sauce is very smooth. Chill thoroughly.

"The basic ingredients of hard sauce are always the same, although proportions and flavoring may vary. In this recipe, the larger amount of butter is preferable. An attractive way to serve hard sauce on cold cake or pudding is to chill it and mold it with a small fancy cutter--or put it through and individual butter mold."

Adapted from unknown source