KENTUCKY’S WOODFORD PUDDING

Kentucky's Woodford Pudding

Woodford Pudding is a wonderful dish to serve during the holidays, a derby dinner or anytime you have guests and family.  This recipe for Woodford Pudding dates back to 1875.  The spongy, spiced pudding is named after Woodford County in Kentucky.  John Egerton speaks about Woodford Pudding in his book, “Southern Food”.  This pudding is so good and you won’t be able to leave it along.   It is just that tasty and the sauce is to die for.  I could drink the sauce!  If you make this recipe, be sure and let me know how you liked it. I think it will become a favorite.  You can make this in a 9 x 13 or in a bundt pan.   I have found the temperature to be the same and I cook it the same amount of time checking the center after about 40 minutes.  I have made this pudding using raspberry preserves instead of blackberry jam and it came out fine.

Woodford pudding is one of our favorite holiday desserts.

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup blackberry jam

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and blackberry jam. Mix well.  Add flour, cinnamon, and allspice and continue mixing. Pour in buttermilk with soda added to the milk.  Mix well and pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish or a sprayed 10 inch bundt pan..  Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

Butterscotch Sauce

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup boiling water

1/2 stick butter or margarine

2 tablespoons cream or evaporated milk (I use evaporated milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar and flour in saucepan.  Add boiling water and salt.  Mix well with spoon or whisk.  Bring to a boil on stove.  Cook to desired thickness, about five or six minutes.  If too thick add more boiling water.  Remove from heat, add butter, milk and vanilla and stir.  Serve pudding warm with sauce on top.

Enjoy!

 
Kentucky Woodford Pudding
 
Kentucky's Woodford Pudding

Woodford Pudding

The Southern Lady Cooks
Woodford Pudding is a wonderful dish to serve during the holidays, a derby dinner or anytime you have guests and family. This recipe for Woodford Pudding dates back to 1875.
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 stick butter or margarine softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup blackberry jam
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Butterscotch Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 stick butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons cream or evaporated milk I use evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and blackberry jam. Mix well. Add flour, cinnamon, and allspice and continue mixing. Pour in buttermilk and add soda. Mix well and pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish or a 10 inch bundt pan. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

Butterscotch Sauce Instructions

  • Combine sugar and flour in saucepan. Add boiling water and salt. Mix well with spoon or whisk. Bring to a boil on stove. Cook to desired thickness, about five or six minutes. If too thick add more boiling water. Remove from heat, add butter, milk and vanilla and stir. Serve pudding warm with sauce on top.
Keyword Woodford Pudding
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If you like this recipe, you might also like:
 Kentucky Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Kentucky Butter Cake with Rum Sauce
Kentucky Bourbon Balls
 
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Recipe Rating




43 Comments

  1. Mary-Christina says:

    Oddly African Americans from the south .. my granny from Tennessee called this recipe Jam cake .. with an exception to using flour for the sauce . But pretty much everything else as for as the ingredients are the same.

    1. The Southern Lady says:

      Yes, they have some of the same ingredients but no this is not like a jam cake. This is a pudding, the texture is completely different.

  2. Short Sweet and Cajun says:

    Is it supposed to look set before coming out of the oven or still have a lot of movement to it?? I left it in for the suggested time but I am using a bundt pan so I imagine the cook time is different than using a 9×13

    1. The Southern Lady says:

      As you can see from the photos, I made it in a bundt pan as well. It will have some play it’s a pudding, not a dense cake.

  3. Simple satisfying cake would b good with a bit of Bourbon in the sauce wasn’t as sweet as I expected (:

  4. Just made this. it’s perfect if you don’t like sickly sweet desserts. The sauce recipe is also a keeper for other uses. I think the cake would be fine if frozen. but is best served warm. I zapped it in the microwave for 25 seconds for breakfast – great w/ a cup of black coffee.5 stars

    1. The Southern Lady says:

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  5. The Southern Lady says:

    We have one coming out in a few days, stay tuned!

  6. The Southern Lady says:

    Look on the left hand side of any page on the website and put in your e-mail address. Where it says get notifications in the mail of new posts. You will get an e-mail telling there is a new recipe posted. You won’t get the recipes that are already on the site, just the new ones.

  7. So if it’s wood ford pudding…… Where’s the woodford?

    1. The Southern Lady says:

      Woodford is the name of a county in Kentucky. The pudding is named for the county where it originated.

  8. The Southern Lady says:

    I have never tried freezing this.

  9. The Southern Lady says:

    I have never made it anyway but the recipe. I would think you could use something else though Ella.

    1. Hi how much is one stick of butter

      1. The Southern Lady says:

        1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons.

    1. The Southern Lady says:

      Yes, You can try it with milk. I always use buttermilk.

    2. Shelley Saunders says:

      You can always add vinegar to your milk ( 1 tbsps per I cup) as a substitute for buttermilk.

  10. Sheryl Wright says:

    I made the Woodburn Pudding today. My family (I live with my daughter, son-in-law, and their 5 sons) LOVED it. This is the second “Southern Lady Cooks” recipe I have put to use – and, there will be more!5 stars

  11. Hi–Enjoy seeing your Handed down recipes–They look delicious! Do you have a recipe for an old timey cake with a caramel icing, that gets
    hard—kinda like sugary fudge???? Thanks!!!!!

  12. sheila lynn says:

    Never heard of it until today……but, OMG! you’re killing me with the pic-cioulicious! lol 🙂

  13. Oh my! What a wonderful share! I saw your Woodford Pudding on your “The Southern Lady Cooks” Facebook page and had to come over to read the recipe. Pinning! Thanks for all the great recipes! Cheers!

  14. I have some homemade blackberry jelly. Wondering if I can use that instead of the jam. It looks delicious and want to make it today.

  15. debbiebeasley says:

    Oh my didn’t have the jam, so had a jar of Christmas jam, strawberry and orange spice… turned out awesome… I did something wrong with the flour but will work on that in the topping… wonderful thank you for sharing

  16. Anything which is an authentic and old Southern recipe is certainly worth making and I am going to make this very soon.. I fully expect it to taste as good as it looks..

  17. Made this pudding a few days ago, everyone loved it, so moist. Would love to use strawberry, or apricot jam next time. What spices could I use instead of the cinnamon and allspice.5 stars

  18. I have never heard of this dessert before but it certainly does sound great.

  19. I am so pleased to come across your blog. I am new to Kentucky and looking forward to experiencing the flavors of the South. Congratulations on your patch! I have been anxious to try the Kentucky Jam Cake but I think I’ll be trying the Woodford Pudding first! I will let you know…but I suspect I’m going to love it. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I’ll be checking in for more!

  20. OMG I have been looking for this recipe for years. My aunt made it once or someone did when I was a little girl, and have wanted the recipe ever since but never found out who made the stuff. My family all lives in Woodford county Kentucky

  21. I canned WAY TOO MUCH blackberry jam last year, and I was getting tired of eating it on biscuits. Now, I know what I’m gonna do with it. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Another way to use your blackberry jam is to thin it a bit with orange juice and use as a topping for plain cheesecake. So delicious!!

  22. I’m making this delicious looking recipe today but when I read the recipe for the butterscotch sauce, the directions say to add salt but there are no measurements. Any suggestions anyone?

    I love Judy’s blog.

    1. Hi Karen, I just saw your comment. I add about 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sometimes, I don’t even add it. Let me know how it turns out for you!

      1. Thanks so much for your quick reply. I know this is going to be absolutely yummy! 🙂

  23. OOOOO, just made this, it is sooo good! Very sweet sauce though
    I made it with blackberry jelly, country crock, wheat flour, and milk, for the substitutes. I ran out of grocery money, so improvised with what was on hand. Wasn’t sure about the swaps, esp the flour in the sauce, but, it is really good!!!!!!
    I cooked the pudding for 46 minutes, we are not a big pudding cake people, and the texture would have thrown them off, and it was perfect. It has a cake top and a pudding-like texture, but not so much that it is runny…..mmmmmmmmmm don’t expect it to last much longer.5 stars

  24. When I saw the picture of this cake I had a sense memory about it, but I remember it as cold. I could feel it in my mouth and it was really good. My great grandmother came from Kentucky and my grandmother cooked a lot. She was born in central Texas, so I’m pretty sure they probably put pecans in it. I’m sure it was a recipe she made and what I am remembering is the leftover cake. I’ll try it soon…like when the heat wave abates some.

  25. My family lives in Ohio, but my father’s family originated in the ‘hills’ of Kentucky. Love that this is an old recipe, thank you for sharing. I think I’ll make ‘Woodford Pudding’ as a Father’s Day treat… thanks for helping me make his day a little more special!

  26. Debbie Bishop says:

    Made Woodford Pudding and sauce this afternoon, will be taking it to a Bible Study group meal tonight. Smells divine! (of course I licked the sauce spoon and its so GOOD!) Will update you after friends sample it tonight. Thanks for all the recipes! I live in Lawrenceburg, Ky. I’m always looking for something different to cook- hate cooking the same old things all the time. Desserts tend to be my favorites though. Our youth minister says he hasn’t ever seen anybody that surfs the internet as much as I do checking out recipes! He enjoys the dishes that I drag in for him to sample though.