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Sticky gingerbread spiced Christmas pudding


Makes: 1 x 1.5 litre pudding
Serves: 10-12
timePrep time: 45 mins
timeTotal time:
Sticky gingerbread spiced Christmas pudding

Sticky gingerbread spiced Christmas pudding

You can make your Christmas pud months ahead – the rich flavour will only improve, and the colour darken

Makes: 1 x 1.5 litre pudding
Serves: 10-12
timePrep time: 45 mins
timeTotal time:

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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
562Kcal
Fat
18gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
82gr
Sugars
63gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
0.4gr

Ingredients

For day 1
  • 225g pitted dates, roughly chopped
  • 150ml dark rum
  • 225g currants
  • 100g raisins
  • 100g sultanas
  • 100g chopped mixed peel
  • 100g stem ginger, finely chopped, plus 4 tbsp syrup from the ginger jar
  • grated zest and juice 1 large lemon
For day 2
  • 1 large Bramley apple (about 250g), peeled, cored and coarsely grated
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 1⁄4 tsp ground cloves
  • 100g dark muscovado sugar
  • 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 150g vegetable suet
  • 50g blanched almonds, chopped
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 120ml Gold Label very strong special beer (or another strong beer with 10-12% alcohol)
  • melted butter, to grease

Step by step

Get ahead
Make the pudding up to the end of step 5. Store in a dark, cool and dry place – it will keep for up to a year.
  1. The day before cooking the pudding, put the dates into a saucepan with the rum and cook for 5 minutes over a low heat until mushy. Add to a large mixing bowl, along with the currants, raisins, sultanas, chopped mixed peel, stem ginger and syrup, and lemon zest and juice, then cover and leave overnight.
  2. The next day, stir the grated apple into the soaked fruits. Sift over the flour, spices and a pinch of salt. Add the sugar, breadcrumbs, suet, almonds, eggs and beer and stir until well combined.
  3. Brush a 1.5 litre pudding basin with melted butter and line the base with a disc of baking paper. Spoon in the pudding mixture and level the surface. Put a sheet of foil on top of the work surface, top with a sheet of baking paper measuring the same size as the foil, and brush the paper with more melted butter. Fold a pleat down the centre then put on top of the pudding basin, foil-side up. Shape over the sides of the basin, keeping the pleat in place to allow the pudding to rise, and secure in place, just under the rim, with a double length of kitchen string. Use another piece of string to make a handle. Trim the excess foil and paper back to about 3cm below the string.
  4. Place a trivet, such as an upturned saucer, into the base of a large lidded pan in which the basin will fit comfortably. Lower the pudding into the pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Bring back to a vigorous simmer, cover with a lid, and leave to steam for 6 hours, topping up with boiling water from the kettle as and when necessary.
  5. Careully lift the pudding from the hot water and leave to cool. Remove and discard the paper and foil, then re-cover with fresh paper and foil, as in step 3. Store in a cool, dark place until needed.
  6. To reheat the pudding, steam as before, for 3 hours. Carefully turn out onto a plate and serve with your favourite accompaniments.

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