Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: This Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding recipe beckons with quick, stress-free culinary delights.

• With this recipe tailored for seasonal chaos, you don’t have to make it months ahead. Just prepare it at least 24 hours in advance and you’ll be enjoying a well-crafted, beloved Christmas Pudding in no time.
• Not only does it demand minimal time, but also it relies on only common pantry ingredients. Its simplicity provides a straightforward solution for unexpected guests or a sudden shift in plans, letting the spirit of the season shine through.

Christmas Pudding is a huge part of my Christmas traditions. Growing up in Ireland my Mum would make them in October and have them all ready to give to Aunties and friends by the time the holidays came around. I remember it being a big process because even after the puddings were mixed they had to be wrapped up with string and foil and steamed. I do however have very fond memories of mixing the pudding batter in a big Mason Cash porcelain bowl and making a wish. All of us got to do it.

I am not going home to Ireland this year for Christmas like I usually do, but I will be celebrating with my husband, Kevin, Georgie, and Waffles (our dog). This Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding is unquestionably a lifesaver, enabling me to uphold my Irish spirit every Christmas.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was improved and updated on 11/30/2023, to include a new step-by-step tutorial video, explanations of key ingredients, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and more Pro Chef Tips.

Table of Contents

What is an Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding?

An Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding is a simplified, quick, yet equally delicious version of the traditional Christmas pudding, which is essentially a soft, moist, and boozy fruit cake.

• An Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding is a convenient option designed for those with limited time during the holiday season. It does not necessitate a long waiting period, allowing for more immediate preparation and enjoyment.
• It typically involves readily available ingredients that are easy to find and can be assembled quickly.
• Despite the simplified process, it retains the festive and flavorful characteristics of a traditional Christmas pudding.

Tools for Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding

• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Wire whisk
• Silicone spatula
• Pudding basin (2 pints/1qt/4-cup/950ml)
• Large pot and steaming rack
• Or steamer pot

Key Ingredients for Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding

• Raisins, currants, and sultanas

  • Raisins are from different types of grapes dried for around 3 weeks in a dark brownish color.
  • Currants are dried from a variety of small, seedless grapes called “Black Corinth” and “Carina.”
  • Sultanas/golden raisins are dried from green seedless grapes and are typically coated in an oil-based solution before drying to speed up the process to have a lighter golden color.

• Candied mixed citrus peel

  • Candied peels add sweetness, a unique citrus flavor, and a delightful, chewy, and slightly firm texture to Christmas Pudding.

• Cooking apples

  • Use peeled and cored Granny Smith apples for the best flavor and texture.
  • Bramley apples will be your go-to cooking apples in Ireland or the UK. They are very sour to eat raw but are one of the best apples working beautifully in baking, such as in an Apple Crumble or Apple Strudel.

• Citrus zest and juice

  • Lemon zest and lemon juice with orange zest and orange juice, bring vibrant and refreshing elements to Christmas Pudding, enhancing both the flavor and aroma.
  • They also complement the other ingredients in this classic holiday mixture.

• Fresh white breadcrumbs

  • Instead of all-purpose flour, this Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding Recipe uses fresh breadcrumbs.
  • Fresh breadcrumbs can absorb and retain moisture and flavor, quickly contributing to a desirable structure, consistency, and complex taste.

• Mixed spice

  • Mixed spice adds warmth, balancing the sweetness of Christmas Pudding.
  • It also adds aromatic complexity, depth, and a traditional holiday flavor.

• Salt

  • Salt enhances all other flavors.

• Egg

  • The egg enriches the pudding’s flavor and binds other ingredients together for a cohesive mixture.

• Butter

  • Butter’s savory and creamy profile complements the sweetness of sugars and dried fruit.
  • As a source of fat, butter contributes to moisture and tenderness.
  • Butter melts during baking, coating the other ingredients thus resulting in a more cohesive filling.

• Irish Stout and brandy

  • Spirits add a boozy flavor and impart a pleasant aroma.
  • When it’s lit on fire just before serving, the alcohol content in the pudding facilitates this flame effect, making it look fantastic and taste even better.

• Molasses (treacle)

  • Molasses adds moisture and can enhance the overall richness and complexity.
  • You can make it at home using my Homemade Molasses Substitute with dark brown sugar.

• Whole milk

  • Whole milk provides moisture, richness, binding, flavor enhancement, and tenderization to the Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding.

How to Make an Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding

How to Store Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding

• You can store Christmas Pudding in a dark cool, dry place until ready to eat. For as long as a year.
• On the day you want to serve it, re-steam for 2 hours to get it nicely heated through.

Can I use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make a gluten-free Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding?

Yes, you can use store-bought or homemade gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this pudding.

What nuts can you use in Christmas Pudding?

Besides almonds, you can also use walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, pistachios, other nut(s) of your choice, or a mix of different types of nuts.

What can I use instead of nuts in Christmas Pudding if I have a nut allergy?

You can use seeds, shredded coconut, rolled oats, chocolate chips, graham crackers, or crushed cookies.

What egg substitute will work the best in an Easy Last Minute Christmas Pudding?

Flax eggs from my Egg Substitute Chart will work the best in this recipe because they bind ingredients well and retain moisture well.

Can I replace the Stout or brandy with whiskey, rum, beer, vodka, or other alcohol?

Yes, you can use alcohol of your choice and Sherry will also give a  boozy flavor.

What can I use instead of alcohol to make an alcohol-free Christmas Pudding?

To make the Christmas Puddingalcohol-free, use an equal amount of orange juice, apple juice, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar (the one with the mother) to the pudding mix to help ferment the fruit and develop flavors.

Can you make a dairy-free Irish Christmas Pudding?

• Use vegan-baking butter and plant-based milk of your choice for the best result.
• You can use margarine but the result can be different in taste and texture.

Would this recipe work with any dried fruits but raisins?

Dried apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, prunes, pineapple, cherries, and mangos will work well in Christmas Pudding.

Why isn’t there raising agent baking powder or baking soda in this Christmas Pudding?

This pudding is very traditional and its nature is to be heavy and dense.

Is Christmas pudding the same as Irish Christmas Cake?

No, Christmas pudding and Irish Christmas Cake are not the same.

• Christmas pudding:
  1) Christmas pudding also known as plum pudding, is a steamed or boiled dessert that is dense and moist, filled with dried fruits, suet, spices, and breadcrumbs.
  2) It is traditionally prepared in a spherical shape.
  3) Christmas pudding is typically served hot. It is commonly accompanied by Traditional Irish Brandy Butter, custard, whipped cream, or ice cream.
• Irish Christmas Cake:
  1) Irish Christmas Cake, also known as Christmas fruitcake or plum cake, is a baked cake filled with dried fruits, nuts, spices, and often soaked in alcohol (typically whiskey) for weeks before baking.
  2) The cake is typically round, like a regular cake, and is often covered with a layer of marzipan and royal icing. It can be decorated with festive designs. It is usually served in thin slices, similar to a traditional cake, and is enjoyed with a cup of tea or a glass of Irish whiskey.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Without alcohol as a preservative, especially in a very warm climate with high humidity, refrigerate Christmas Pudding leftovers.
• Instead of lemon zest and juice, you can also use orange zest and juice.
• I adore and always use salted butter. But unsalted butter will also work.
• My mixed spices contain allspice, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground mace, ground cloves, ground coriander, and ground ginger. Feel free to customize it to your liking.
• To avoid the soaked fruits from sinking to the bottom:
  • Before adding the soaked fruits to the pudding mixture, make sure they are well-coated with flour. This helps to create a barrier that can slow down the sinking process.
  • Cut the soaked fruits into smaller pieces which are less likely to sink as quickly as larger ones.
  • Gently folding the fruits into the pudding mixture helps distribute the fruits more evenly, reducing the chances of them sinking.
• If preferred, toast the nuts before adding them to the batter to enhance flavors.
• I do not recommend cooking this recipe in the microwave as it’s too large to get cooked evenly.

More Christmas Crowd-Pleasers

• Aunty Rosaleen’s Traditional Irish Christmas Cake Recipe
• Christmas Wreath Pavlova
• Aunty Marian’s No-Bake Christmas Cake
• Gingerbread Cake Made in a Crock Pot
• Holiday GingerbreadTrifle (Irish Recipe)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was improved and updated on 11/30/2023, to include a new step-by-step tutorial video, explanations of key ingredients, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and more Pro Chef Tips.

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