Christmas Pudding I
Christmas pudding is a dessert served typically around the Christmas festive period and on Christmas day in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada. Outside of this festive period, it is known as a plum pudding which can have further recipe variations as well.
- Prep
- 44 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 43 min
- Total
- 2 hr 27 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Equipment
1.5 L pudding basin
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Equipment
3 medium mixing bowls
Equipment
1 mixing spoon
Equipment
Baking paper
Equipment
Kitchen foil
Procedure
In a mixing bowl, combine the raisins, currants, candied peel, and apple with zest and juice from the lemon and orange. Stir well and leave in the bowl for an hour for the flavours to combine.
Procedure
In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a spoon. When fluffy, slowly add in the eggs.
Procedure
Sift the flour and spice together in another bowl. Add this bit by bit into the creamed butter and sugar, folding it in with the breadcrumbs and almonds. Then fold in the fruit mixture.
Procedure
Liberally butter the pudding basin and place a small, round piece of baking paper in the bottom of the basin.
Procedure
Slowly add the mixture into the basin and level the mixture out. Cut a layer of baking paper and foil for the top, leaving a crease in the middle so the pudding can expand, place it on top of the basin, and secure it with string.
Procedure
Cook the pudding by either: Steaming for 8 hours: put the pudding into a steamer with simmering water. Cover with a lid and top up the water level as needed for 8 hours. Boiling for 7 hours: To boil, place a metal jam lid, or any kind of circular, thin metal object, at the bottom of a large pan to be a trivet. Create 2 strips of large string or foil and place them on the trivet so you can easily pick up your pudding once its cooked. Make sure there is enough to hang over the side of your pot, so its easy to get a hold of. Then, slowly place your pudding onto the trivet and pour boiling water in so that it reaches halfway up the side of your pudding bowl. Cover with a lid and let the water simmer for 8 hours until the pudding has reached a dark deep brown, adding more water as needed.
Procedure
Remove your pudding and leave to cool for 1–2 hours. Once cool, remove the paper and foil and replace it with fresh paper and foil. Store in a cool, dry area. The pudding can be frozen for up to 1 year.
Procedure
To serve, steam or boil your pudding for two hours to reheat. Once reheated, turn it out onto a serving plate.
Procedure
To flame, warm a small amount of brandy in a pan, pour it over the hot pudding once at the table and light it with a matchstick or other easily used flame. Place your bowl of brandy butter on the table for people to enjoy with your pudding.
Photo: Matt Riggott from Edinburgh, Scotland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 15 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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