Boiled 'pudding' (cake), or, stove top chocolate cake

[jenn]

Christmas pudding in UK is or was, if I comprehend it properly, a fruit cakey type thing made by placing batter inside a skin/cloth in boiling liquid. So looking for excuses to make cake, and actually preferring cake batter to cooked cake, made a whole cake mix in an oversized double boiler (Revereware- top pot fits into bottom but 3/4 of it is above level of bottom pot) and had not overdone, not crumbly cake on sides but the near molten batter center I enjoyed without wanting any frosting. Think I kept it on the bubbling double boiler, covered, for about 90 minutes before deciding the center was certainly cooked if not solid. Next (I love chocolate cake) I tried a smaller 4 cup double boiler insert which fits entirely inside the lower pot and mixed 1/3 the recipe (by weight of the cake mix powder, but to evenly divide the 3 eggs most of all) along with the yoghurt I always add to a cake mix (1/2-3/4 c for a whole recipe). Cooked this 90 minutes- not dry but well done- then another try with 60 minutes, still fully cooked. Will set timer for 30 minutes next week (hey, I have to use up that last 1/3 of cake mix) and keep going until I still have a molten center.

Main drawback is tying up my double boiler pan until cake is gone and I get around to scrubbing it out. Also would recommend keeping it in refrigerator if it won't get eaten quickly- so moist it might get moldy on the counter!

[grannyg]

I can remember my Grandma doing suet that way....mixed with raisins and boiled....suet pudding..LOL