Maple Cottage Pudding

There is a photo submitted with this recipe that shows a smiling Russell Libby, former executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Evidently, he brought this treat to some of the MOFGA potlucks. It hails from "an old Maine Rebekahs cookbook from 1955."

The words "pudding" and "older" sent me off on a bit of research about the classification of puddings (yes, I know, it probably doesn't seem that long ago, but this pudding dates before I was a twinkle in my father's eye!).  I found a piece at www.thespruceeats.com website that mostly discusses the understanding of the word in the U.K. And since the U.S. isn't really all that "old," it makes sense to look further back in time regarding the word "pudding." "Pudding" seems to generally refer to foods that are considered homely or rustic. There may even be a loose association with class, as in, the lower class might have called a food a pudding, whereas the upper class might classify it dessert. 

My uncle, who lives in Vermont, has "sugared off" ever since I can remember. Therefore, I have been spoiled with the "real thing" all of my life. And have a long-standing love affair with maple syrup. To find this recipe is to fall in love. Okay, you may think I am being overly dramatic, but what better way to celebrate maple syrup than in cake form? Honestly, put a party hat on, break out the Happy Birthday song, and let's celebrate! I've never been a "cake" person, preferring pie over cake any day. But this "pudding" (call it what you want, I'll call it "give-me-more") is now my go-to celebratory food, be it birthday, anniversary, or hey, a snowed-in-day-that-says-gotta-have-cake.

My uncle now has the latest and greatest equipment to help him to make maple syrup from sap. It is still long hours of work to produce that sweet treasure that is maple syrup. This recipe honors that hard work, by giving your taste buds the gift of what I can only call "having your syrup and eating your cake, too." Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the cake, with a drizzle of maple syrup, can only enhance your cake pleasure.

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