A traditional baked pudding recipe with a Moorish twist, this recipe draws on flavours brought over to Mediterranean Europe from North Africa in the Middle Ages. The pudding batter is infused with bay leaves (‘lorill’), spiced with cinnamon and ginger, and scented with rosewater before being baked with a puff pastry garnish. A glass of brandy adds a boozy kick to the pudding mix.
An 18th century recipe for Spanish Pudding from The Cookbook of Unknown Ladies
A Spanish Pudding
Boyl three pints of cream with lorrell leaves & cinnamon. Thicken it with flower as thick as batter, the yolks & whites of ten eggs beat to a snow, half a pound of white sugar, half a pound of fresh butter beat to a cream, a little rose water and a little brandy.
Boyle 3 pints of sweet cream with a stick of cinamon and 3 lorill leaves. Take out your leaves and cinamon and thicken it up very well with the best flower. When cold, mix it up with the yolks of ten eggs and the whites beaten to a snow, half a pound of butter worked up to a cream, a little ginger, half a pound of white sugar, nutmeg, salt, a glass of brandy, 3 spoon fulls of rose water. Garnish your dish with puff peast.
The Cookbook of Unknown Ladies 
Catherine Dickinson includes a recipe for Spanish Pudding in her cookbook. It is rather lovely.
This is such a delight! To anyone else who would try it, remember to leave fresh sweet bay leaves to sit for a day before you use them.
I have used these flavourings separately for milk puddings but would not have thought of combining them It has a very pleasant, fresh “botanical” flavour from the bay and rosewater.
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