Christmas Pudding Recipe – Easy Fruit Cake

Christmas pudding recipe is one of all time favorite desserts to serve on the holiday table. What’s interesting, everyone have their own recipe for traditional Christmas pudding. Generally this British dessert is made with dried fruits, berries, nuts, orange, spices, brown sugar, eggs, flour and breadcrumbs. All ingredients are simple and can be found in almost any pantry worldwide.

This quick Christmas pudding recipe is vegetarian, without suet. Steamed pudding easily serves 4-6 people. Great Christmas dessert to share with your family and friends.

Also this recipe doesn’t need a dozen of eggs and a pint of rum (or beer)! I added a little bit of brandy, which is optional, but helps to preserve the pudding and adds delightful buzzy flavor.

It is an easy fruit cake that is easy to mix together and then just wait until it steams. One of the best Christmas cakes to make!

How to make Christmas pudding mix

To make a pudding prepare a large mixing bowl. First stir all the dry ingredients – flour, brown sugar, breadcrumbs and mixed spices. Stir in eggs and slowly add cubed room temperature butter. Stir until combined. Add dried fruits, that were previously heated with fresh orange juice, orange zest, candied ginger and mixed nuts. Mix until combined.

Grease the pudding bowl with butter, place honey and a slice of orange on the bottom. Add pudding mix and press with the spoon. That takes around 15 minutes to prepare pudding for steaming.

By the way, you can also choose your combination of dried fruits. I used dried apricots and raisins in the recipe, but you can also add prunes, dried currants or cranberries instead.

How to steam Christmas pudding

Steam the pudding for about 2,5-3 hours of in a bath on the stove top on the low heat. You can check if it’s ready by inserting wooden skewer to see if it comes clean. Also to reheat the pudding before serving, you will need around half an hour.

You can also steam the pudding in a pudding bowl or pot, in the water bath in the oven, preheated to 350 F / 175 C.

You can make this Christmas pudding ahead of time, and keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks. As it matures, it becomes more and more delicious. And so good for your dinner party!

By the way, the secret to get the pudding out of the mold, it butter it hardly! I also used heavy-wall glass basin instead of ceramic pot. You can also find a lot of special pudding basins in the store.

I simmered the pudding on the stove, in a pot with water. The water should cover 3/4 of of the pudding mold. Before simmering the pudding, cover the bowl with parchment paper and two pieces of foil, fixed around with a string. Also don’t forget to make a handle from the string, so it will be easy to remove the pudding from the hot water. Check the water, while it simmers, add more, if needed.

By the way, it is fun to set this dessert on fire with a little bit of flaming alcohol, too. However the lightning is optional and can be dine only by adults, safely. Flame definitely adds special effect to serving this dessert.

Decorating Christmas pudding

Once you removed steaming pudding from the basin, you can be decorated it with holly. We decided to decorate the pudding with pomegranate seeds and mint. I think pomegranate makes any dish so beautiful and festive!

Oh and the caramelized orange on top that was steam with whole pudding, makes a great topping, too! You can also drizzle some caramel sauce on top of the pudding and add vanilla ice cream per serving. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, if you wish so.

This pudding is moist and sticky and best served warm with ice cream or whipped cream and maybe some brandy butter. However, this pudding can be eaten cold the next day after Christmas. Or you can reheat the pudding twice and have a healthy lunch.

It is fun to set this dessert on fire with a little bit of flaming alcohol, too. However the lightning is optional and can be dine only by adults, safely. Flame definitely adds special effect to serving this dessert.

The history and traditions of Christmas pudding recipe or plum pudding

Christmas pudding or plum pudding comes from medieval England and is tied with different traditions. Here are some of our favorite, related to this British dessert.

• Every family member should stir the pudding mix (don’t forget your dog!).
• Earlier traditional Christmas pudding recipe also included meat, but during the time became more sweet. Moreover, it was not served only on Christmas!
  
• The first traditional puddings were boiled in pudding cloth and represented in round shape. In late 19th century it was usually steamed in pudding basins.
• Non-alcoholic puddings can be made with cold tea instead.
• It was a common practice to include coin or wish one in the pudding, so the person who gets it served, will have wealth next year

By the way, boiled puddings were often also dried on hooks about a months to develop the flavor. But who will remember to do it and have time in 21st century? Well, our recipe is full of spices, fruits and all the goodness, easy to mix. No matter if you have couple days, last minute or at least a week – this pudding is better and healthier that the store-bought.

Hope you will enjoy this Christmas pudding recipe as much as we did!

If you need more easy Christmas dessert ideas, you should check our Orange panna cotta and chocolate truffles 3 ways. If you love pudding recipes, you will enjoy this chocolate cake, too.

I love this time of the year because all of the Christmas baking, do you? Oh, and of course Orange cake is one of our best Christmas cakes!

If you are planning your Christmas menu, you’re in  the right place!

Do you have any Christmas traditions related to food? Share it with us in the comments below, we would love to know! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Pudding

Recipe AuthorCooking Journey Blog

5 from 12 votes

Christmas pudding is one of all time favorite desserts to serve on the holiday table. This pudding is moist and sticky and best served hot with ice cream or whipped cream.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

ServingsServings 6

Equipment

• heat proof round shape bowl to use for cooking the pudding
• large pot
• spatula and whisk for mixing
• food processor

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Ingredients

1x2x3x4x5x

MetricUS Customary

• ▢ 175 g butter without salt (room temperature) + extra to grease
• ▢ 3 tbsp honey
• ▢ 1 large orange
• ▢ 50 g brown sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 80 g flour
• ▢ 60 g breadcrumbs
• ▢ 80 g dried apricots
• ▢ 80 g raisins
• ▢ 80 g candied ginger
• ▢ 40 g mixed nuts (such as pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)
• ▢ 1 tbsp brandy or rum
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds for decoration
• ▢ 9 micro mint leaves for decoration

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Making this recipe?Mention @cookingjourneyblog or tag #cookingjourneyblog!

 

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Instructions

 

• Cut orange in half. Cut one thick round slice of orange and leave it aside.
  
  1 large orange
• Put all dried fruits in a pot. Zest two halves of orange and add to the pot. Juice the same orange and add this fresh juice in a pot with fruits.
  
  80 g dried apricots, 80 g raisins
• Simmer fruits with orange juice on the lowest heat just until starting to boil and immediately remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
  
  50 g brown sugar, 80 g flour, 60 g breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Generously butter the pudding mold with extra butter. Add honey to the bottom and place a slice of orange.
  
  3 tbsp honey
• Add all dried fruits with orange juice in a food processor, add candied ginger and pulse just few times.
  
  80 g candied ginger
• Add eggs in the dried mixture bowl, mix together. Then add butter cubes to the mixture in batches, mixing together.
  2 eggs, 175 g butter without salt (room temperature)
• Add fruits with orange juice, brandy or rum and nuts and mix until everything is combined.
  1 tbsp brandy or rum, 40 g mixed nuts
• Put mixture in the pudding mold on top of the orange and press with the spoon.
• Cover with a round of parchment paper and put two pieces of foil on top. Tie the foil with the string around. Then make a hook with the piece of string, so you can easily lift it.
• Prepare a large pot with water. Put in the bowl with the pudding (foil with string looking to the top). The water should cover 3/4 of the pudding bowl.
• Heat the pot until the water boils, then simmer for 2,5-3 hours until inserted wooden skewer comes out clean.
• Let it cool and store in the fridge.
• When you plan to serve the pudding, remove the foil, paper and stings. Invert on the plate.
• Decorate pudding with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.
  1 tbsp pomegranate seeds, 9 micro mint leaves

Rate this recipe and leave a comment

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Notes

Check the water, while it simmers, add more, if needed.

Don't remove the pudding from the bow if you plan to reheat it. You can reheat it, simmering for half an hour.

To flame the pudding, heat 2-3 tbsp of brandy or rum (at least 40%) in a small pot, carefully light it with long match and pour immediately over the pudding.

This recipe fits one 700 ml/ 1,5  pint pudding bowl.

Nutrition Facts

Christmas Pudding

Amount per Serving

Calories

560

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

29

g

45

%

Saturated Fat

 

16

g

100

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

9

g

Cholesterol

 

117

mg

39

%

Sodium

 

314

mg

14

%

Potassium

 

454

mg

13

%

Carbohydrates

 

70

g

23

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

38

g

42

%

Protein

 

7

g

14

%

Vitamin A

 

1423

IU

28

%

Vitamin C

 

18

mg

22

%

Calcium

 

77

mg

8

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keyword Christmas, easy, fruit cake, pudding