My Mum's Christmas Pudding recipe is as good as it gets, and is one holiday dessert that I look forward to each and every year.
- 1 ¼ cups (6 oz/170 g) raisins
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) sultanas
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) currants
- ¼ cup (1 oz/28 g) prunes, chopped
- 1 small lemon, rind and juice
- ¾ cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) hard cider (or stout)
- 1 tablespoon (½ fl oz/15 ml) O'Driscolls Irish Whiskey
- 1 stick (4 oz/115 g) butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (4 oz/115 g) dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (4 oz/115 g) all purpose-flour
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups (4 oz/115 g) fresh bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup (2 oz/58 g) ground almonds
- 2 tablespoons (¾ oz/21 g) dark chocolate, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon coffee essence, optional
- 1 medium Granny Smith cooking, peeled and grated ( or Bramley apple)
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In a large bowl, soak all the dried fruit overnight with the lemon rind and juice, cider and rum. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
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Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add the eggs, beating in one at a time.
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In a seperate bowl, add the flour, mixed spice nutmeg, baking soda and salt and whisk together to combine.
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Add dry ingredients into the butter mixture and fold together.
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Next, stir in the breadcrumbs, ground almonds, grated chocolate and coffee essence (if using).
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Lastly stir in the grated apple and the soaked fruit mixture. Now cover and set aside to stand for 2 hours on the counter top, stirring occasionally.
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Pour pudding mix into a 1.5 litre/3 pint pudding bowl, cover well and gently steam for roughly 2 ½ hours. (See How to steam a Christmas Pudding for more details).
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Once the pudding is firm to the touch on top it is done. Remove from the pot and allow to cool down completely in the basin.
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Replace the parchment and foil with new pieces before storing the pudding away in a cupboard for as long as 6 months and often longer. It can also be frozen.
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To serve the pudding on Christmas day, steam again for 1 hour and serve hot. Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- The liquor you need to use is a dark one but you can choose between whiskey, rum, or brandy for your pudding.
- If you don’t have all the dried fruit accessible then you can do one pound of any mixed dried fruit.
- Although not traditional, dried cranberries would make a lovely addition to the pudding in place of some of the dried fruit.
- Make your puddings as early as October giving them time to develop more flavor and nicer, moist texture.
- Baking uses dry heat and can lead to cakes that are less than ideally moist. Steaming a cake, or a pudding as we say, is easy and makes for a seriously moist cake that might just blow your mind. If you want all of my best tips for it, check out my article on How To Steam A Christmas Pudding for an in-depth look at the process.