Frugality does not have to imply flavorlessness! This French-Canadian Poor Man’s Pudding uses inexpensive ingredients to create a delightful dessert! A cake batter comes together quickly and is topped with a boiled maple syrup sauce. Once baked, the sauce blends into the fluffy blanket of cake. With this dessert, maple syrup isn’t just for breakfast.

The Great Depression affected the entire world, and the French-influenced region of Quebec was no exception. Everyone requires some sugar, and this pudding exemplifies people’s love of food during difficult times. This one-pan, no-fuss dessert, also known as Poor Man’s Pudding or Pouding Chômeurs (chômeurs meaning unemployed in French), quickly gained popularity and became a staple of Quebec cuisine.

Quebec has long been one of Canada’s (and, honestly, the world’s) leading producers and exporters of maple syrup. With maple syrup constantly in abundance there, it was a no-brainer approach for Depression-era Quebecois to save the meager amount of sugar they had on hand.To make the syrup, simply boil brown sugar, water, and maple syrup.

You next proceed to make the cake. The batter is quite simple. First, whisk the dry ingredients in one basin before combining them with the wet in another. The dry ingredients are then gradually added to the wet until no dry streaks remain in the batter. Here comes the difficult part. After pouring the cake batter into the prepared square pan, slowly drizzle the hot syrup over top.

It will appear a little wonky, but trust in the process. To avoid a disaster while moving the pan to the oven, I set my baking dish on a foil-lined pan before mixing the sauce and cake mixture together. As the pudding bakes, the cake rises to the top and turns golden in color.When it turns a wonderful light amber color, you’re ready to remove it from the oven.

Now, how about the taste? It’s like hugging a spoon. The cake is light, while the syrup is hot and molten. After it cools, the syrup sinks into the cake, giving the Poor Man’s Pudding a taste similar to the best pancakes you can bite into. Top with creme fraiche, soft whipped cream, or whipped cream cheese to elevate this dish. You wouldn’t know it was a budget dessert.