Recipes
Recipes

Classic Christmas pudding

Finish off your Christmas dinner with this classic fruity (and boozy) pudding

Finish off your Christmas dinner with this classic fruity (and boozy) pudding

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(49 votes)
Cooking Time

Cook: 6 Hours 20 Mins

Cooking Time

Serves: 2

Cooking Time

Price: £5.48 per serving

Nutritional Information

Each 80g serving contains

Energy
1088kj
260kcal
13%
Fat
10.1g
Med
14%
Saturates
4.3g
High
22%
Sugars
28.6g
High
32%
Salt
0.29g
Med
5%
of your reference intake.
Typical energy values per 100g:
1360kj/325kcal

Ingredients

250g sultanas

250g raisins

150g currants

100g dried cranberries

100ml rum or brandy

75g carrots, grated

1 unwaxed lemon

2 oranges

75g self-raising flour

1 tbsp. mixed spice

175g butter, plus extra for greasing

100g pecans

150g fresh white breadcrumbs

175g soft light brown sugar

3 large free-range eggs

To serve: 4tbsp rum or brandy

Method

1
Put the sultanas, raisins, currants and cranberries in a bowl. Add the rum or brandy and set aside.
2
Finely grate the rind of the lemon and 1 orange. Squeeze both of the oranges and measure out 100ml of juice. Add the zest, orange juice and grated carrot to the dried fruit mixture.
3
Cover with clingfilm and leave to sit for 2 hours. Sift together the flour and mixed spice. Grease 2x 1-litre pudding basins. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3.
4
Finely chop the pecans and mix in a bowl with the breadcrumbs (best made with bread 2-3 days old). In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
5
To the eggs and sugar, add the fruit mix, flour and breadcrumb mixes. Stir well, until thoroughly mixed. Divide the mixture between the basins.
6
Cover the basins with baking paper, folded with a pleat across the top. Tie string tightly around the rim. Cover with foil and tie with more string. Put the puddings in a roasting tin, and pour boiling water into the tin to a depth of 3cm.
7
Cover the roasting tin with 2 sheets of foil and tuck the edges tightly under the rim. Cook in the oven for 4 hours. Check occasionally and top up the water as needed. Replace the foil if it rips.
8
Remove the puddings from the roasting tin and discard the paper and foil wrappings. Re-cover in new foil and leave to cool overnight. Store in a cool, dry place until needed.
9
To serve, reheat one of the puddings by steaming for 1 ½ hours or microwaving on high for 4 minutes. Warm the rum or brandy in a small saucepan and turn the pudding out onto a plate. Pour the alcohol over the pudding and set it alight. Serve with brandy butter or custard.

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