Simple Buxton Pudding Recipe - Scottish Scran (2024)

We love coming across recipes like Buxton Pudding that are a little obscure and simple to make. It’s fun to discover different regional favourites, learn a little of their history and find that they’re easy for everyone to make if only they knew how!

This Buxton Pudding recipe is one of those. And we think you’re going to love it.

What is Buxton Pudding?

Buxton Pudding consists of a shortcrust pastry base, supporting a layer of jam with a spongecake topping whose ingredients include breadcrumbs!

The breadcrumbs may make you think twice about trying this recipe but think again and give it a go. It is simply delicious!

Where does Buxton Pudding come from?

Buxton Pudding unsurprisingly owes its name to the quaint spa town of Buxton, located in the county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands, England.

Though settlements in Buxton date back to the Stone Age, the pudding itself dates back to Victorian times. First recorded as part of a dinner given for the Mayor of Derby reported in ‘The Derby Mercury’ on Wednesday, 4 November 1868.

Like Stovies or tattie scones, the Buxton Pudding recipe likely stemmed from the idea of not having food go to waste and, in this case, using up stale bread. This way of using food still has a lot of relevance for life today as much as it did in the 1800s!

Now we know that this is clearly a British recipe rather than a Scottish one, but we think it goes really well alongside lots of our other simple Scottish desserts, like Eccelfechan Tarts, and other traditional English puddings like Eve’s Pudding.

What do you think?

What’s the difference between Buxton Pudding and Bakewell Pudding?

The town of Bakewell is also located in Derbyshire, just over ten miles away from Buxton, and has its own pudding to rival Buxton Pudding.

A Bakewell Pudding consists of a puff pastry case layered with jam and topped with an egg and almond sort of sponge on top. You can see the similarities!

These types of recipes often were created for nobility to showcase the expensive ingredients of the time. Maybe Buxton didn’t have almonds available when it came up with its recipe and decided breadcrumbs would do well enough. Just a thought.

What You Need to Make this Buxton Pudding Recipe

• 23cm Fluted Tart Tin
• Baking Paper
• Baking Beans (or rice)
• Food Processor (or complete this step by hand)
• Rolling Pin
• Sharp Knife
• Electric Stand Mixer, Electric Beater or Hand Whisk

Ingredients for Buxton Pudding

For the pastry

• 200g plain flour (1 2/3 cups)
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter (cold, cubed) (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp cold water

For the filling

• 150g unsalted butter (at room temp)
• 150g caster sugar (2/3 cup)
• 150g/5.2oz stale white bread (approx. 4 slices)
• 3 medium eggs
• 7 tbsp raspberry jam

Pastry

We like to make our own shortcrust pastry, but you feel free to use a store-bought version instead.

Jam

We use Scottish raspberry jam in this recipe, but you can change this up and use a jam of your choice. We would usually suggest a seedless jam but you can feel free to use whatever you like.

How to Make Buxton Pudding – Step-by-Step Method

First, make the pastry.

Add the flour and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and mix briefly to combine. Alternatively, mix by hand. Both work well.

Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can also rub the butter into the flour by hand in a mixing bowl if preferred.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Add the egg yolk and cold water and mix until everything comes together into a thick dough.

Then, take the dough and shape it into a ball with your hands and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough into a 23cm fluted tart tin and carefully push it down with your hands to line the base and sides. Cut away some of the excess dough, leaving a slight overhang.

Prick the pastry base all over with a fork, then place a sheet of baking paper over the top and fill with baking beans or dry rice/lentils. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the baking beans and paper and bake for another 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked through.

Use a sharp knife to slice away the overhanging pastry and allow to cool a little whilst you prepare the filling.

First, blitz the bread in a food processor to break it down into breadcrumbs.
Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer until smooth and fluffy (about 4 minutes). You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon or with an electric whisk if preferred.

Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition until combined.

Fold through the breadcrumbs.

Spread the raspberry jam all over the pastry base in an even layer, going right up to the edges.

Spoon over the filling mixture, smoothing this out so it completely covers the jam.

Bake at 160C for 35-40 minutes or until the sponge is nice and golden.

Serve warm with custard, whipped cream or ice cream.

How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom

No one wants the dreaded soggy bottom! Here are some tips to avoid it:

• Don’t skip the blind baking. This is really important as otherwise you’re trying to cook a wet mixture on a wet dough.
• Chill the dough for at least the recommended time (30 minutes).
• Use a heavy baking tin to absorb the most heat as the pudding cooks.

How to Serve Buxton Pudding

Buxton Pudding is best served with custard, pouring cream, or ice cream. It’s really up to you which one you want to go with. We think custard is the best option!

How to Store Buxton Pudding

Allow the pudding to fully cool before placing in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 days. Any longer and the pastry starts to go soggy.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in cling film or store in an airtight container. Allow it to defrost before consuming.

Variations

It’s hard to stay loyal to this recipe and vary it too much due to its wonderful simplicity. However, we’ve tried the below, and they’ve worked out great.

• We love Scottish raspberry jam, but you can use any that you like. We tried gooseberry and blackcurrant
• You can swap the jam for stewed fruit. Our family loved it when we added a thin layer of stewed apple. You can find a good recipe for this as part of our Eve’s Pudding recipe. You can also try summer fruits like you would find in a summer pudding.
• Coulis?
• Roasted almonds?

Other British Classics to Try:

• Cornflake Tart Recipe – A Simple School Classic!
• Old Fashioned Butterscotch Tart Recipe
• Old School Cake Recipe – A Nostalgic Classic!
• Classic Congress Tarts Recipe
• Eve’s Pudding – A Simple Apple Sponge Recipe
• Classic Tottenham Cake Recipe
• Delicious Treacle Scones Recipe
• Traditional Rock Cakes Recipe
• Simple Almond Slice Recipe
• Classic Macaroni Pudding Recipe

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