How to Make a Christmas Pudding

Last Updated: October 9, 2021

What would we do at Christmas without Christmas pudding? For all the fans out there, this is a recipe to die for. Rich, moist, full of flavour and colour and simply scrumptious. Enjoy this delicious Christmas pudding recipe.

Ingredients

500 g / 1 lb currants
500 g / 1 lb raisins
500 g / 1 1b golden raisins
500 g / 1 lb bread crumbs
500 g / 1 lb brown sugar
250 g / 8 oz suet – get it from a butcher; if you can't find it, substitute with solid vegetable shortening^{[1]
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120 g / 4 oz mixed peel
120 g / 4 oz glace cherries, chopped
120 g / 4 oz almonds, chopped
grated rind of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 orange
1 carrot, grated
1 apple, grated
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp mixed spice (pudding spice) – it's a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and sometimes includes mace, cloves, ginger, coriander, caraway, and/or Cayenne pepper; you can mix your own to taste, or follow the recipe for garam masala and substitute^{[2]
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6 eggs
300 ml / 10fl oz Guinness
a pinch of salt
a knob of butter, for greasing
5 tbsp brandy – optional

Steps

1
Mix the dry ingredients. Into the large bowl, put the following: raisins, golden raisins, currants, breadcrumbs, suet, brown sugar, mixed peel, grated carrot, glace cherries, lemon peel, orange peel, chopped almonds, mixed spice, flour, grated apple and the pinch of salt.
2
Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

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3
Beat the eggs. Crack all six eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork.
4
Add the eggs and Guinness. Pour the eggs and Guinness over the dry mix.
- Combine well with your hands.
5
Grease the bowl. Coat the inside of the glass bowl with the knob of butter.
6
Transfer. Put the pudding mix into the bowl, pressing it down lightly and giving a final pat to make it level.
7
Cover and seal. Place the circular piece of parchment paper over the mix, and gently press it down and around the edges.
- Follow by the tin foil and seal tightly.
8
Make a Bain Marie. Place the bowl into the saucepan.
- Pour in enough water to fill up to three quarters, making a Bain Marie, which means a water bath or double boiler.
9
Cook the pudding. Place the saucepan onto a high heat and bring the water to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn it down to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer for roughly 4 hours.
- It's very important that you keep topping up the water, which will be approximately every hour. Remember to bring it back to the boil and then turn it back down to a simmer.
10
Remove the pudding from the heat after this time. Take off the tin foil.
- Remove the sheet of parchment paper.
- Place a large plate on top of the bowl.
- Using cloths to grip the plate better, very carefully flip the pudding onto the plate to sit upright.
11
Serve. Your Christmas pudding is now ready to serve! As an optional extra, ladle over some brandy, along with some delicious brandy butter! Merry Christmas.

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Community Q&A

Question

Do I have to add Guinness to my Christmas pudding?

HumanBeing

Top Answerer

You don't have to, but it is a traditional ingredient. Stout can be used instead; a good non-alcohol substitute would be apple juice or unsweetened cranberry juice. Rum, brandy or sherry are included in some Christmas pudding recipes. The most important thing is to make sure the consistency of the pudding is as you desire. You can use water if your pudding mixture looks too dry, but it won't taste as rich.
Question

Must I line the basin before I pour the mixture in?

Community Answer

Unless you want the mixture to stick, it is better to line the basin.