Christmas pudding is a steamed cake traditionally served as part of the Christmas dinner in Britain, Ireland and in other countries where it has been brought by British and Irish immigrants. It’s quite rich and fruity but light at the same time.
Step by step recipe below and list of ingredients at the end of the post!
Place the raisins, sultanas and currants together in a saucepan with just enough water to cover; boil for 1 minute. Drain and leave to cool.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour, spices, salt and baking powder together.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture with the breadcrumbs.
Stir in the cooled mixed fruit, cherries, orange zest, vanilla essence, lemon essence (I used lemon zest instead of essence) and brandy/rum.
Pour into a greased 8-cup basin (or pudding steamer).
Cover tightly with tinfoil and tie securely with string; wrap it twice to keep it tight. Use the remaining string to create a handle over the top of the pudding. Trim off the excess foil, then tuck it underneath to create a watertight seal (check out detailed instructions on how to do this in my blog post steamed date pudding).
Place the basin into a large, deep saucepan. Add water to fill the saucepan at least halfway up the side of the basin, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 4½ hours. Make sure that the water level doesn’t drop too low, topping up with boiling water as necessary.
After 4½ hours, carefully remove the pudding basin from the saucepan. Leave to stand for 30 minutes to cool a little before turning out onto a plate.
For the custard, I used a recipe I found online, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 3 cups milk
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Heat the milk in a small saucepan.
Beat the eggs, cornflour and sugar together in a small bowl.
Add the milk, then return the mixture to the pan over a low-to-medium heat. Stir constantly until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
Remove from the heat, then whisk in the vanilla.
Serve the Christmas pudding with warmed custard.
Christmas Pudding
From The Great New Zealand Baking Book, copyright © Lauraine Jacobs
Makes: up to 12 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 4 ½ hours | Skill level: 2 (moderate)
Ingredients
- 250 g raisins
- 250 g sultanas
- 250 g currants
- 250 g butter
- 250 g brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 125 g plain flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 250 g soft white breadcrumbs
- 1 packet (150 g) glacé cherries, halved
- zest of 1 orange, grated
- ½ tsp each of vanilla and lemon essence
- 4 tbsp brandy or rum
Method
Place the raisins, sultanas and currants together in a saucepan with just enough water to cover; boil for 1 minute. Drain and leave to cool.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour, spices, salt and baking powder together and add to the egg mixture with the breadcrumbs. Stir in the cooled mixed fruit, cherries, orange zest, essences and brandy/rum.
Pour into a greased 8-cup basin (or pudding steamer) and cover tightly with tinfoil. Place the basin into a large, deep saucepan. Add water to fill the saucepan at least halfway up the side of the basin, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 4½ hours. Make sure that the water level doesn’t drop too low, topping up with boiling water as necessary.
After 4½ hours, carefully remove the pudding basin from the saucepan. Leave to stand for 30 minutes to cool a little before turning out onto a plate.
Serve with warmed custard and ice cream.
Published by Thom Productions/Blackwell & Ruth, $49.95
Where to buy the book:
The Great New Zealand Baking Book Project 