Ah the good ol’ Christmas pud . . .
Just between you and me, I had no intention of sharing the recipe for Pudding this year, or ever really?! I’m not sure why it never occurred to me that you guys might be interested in it ,I think it’s kind of like cilantro, you either love it or you hate it and, gathering by the response I got when I shared a sneaky snap of this on Instagram last week you guys definitely LOVE IT!
I had so many messages, questions and comments requesting the recipe so I took a quick poll and 100% of you said a big YES PLEASE to me sharing the recipe so, I decided to snap a couple of pics and well, here we are (originally published back in 2018 so I just re-posted to bump it up so it was front & center, nice and easy for you to find + for my visual learners, I’ve added step-by-step pics of Eve and I making it so you can see how easy it really is! click here for to see the pics / cook along with us ).
Ah Christmas . . .
A time for family, friends, food and tradition – all of my fave things packed into one, slightly hectic, sometimes stressful but seriously magical day.
One of our favorite, festive family traditions is getting together for “Stir-Up Sunday” – although in the interest of full disclosure this rarely happens on a Sunday or as far in advance as it’s “supposed to” but anyway – we all get together, Christmas carols blaring, and make the highly anticipated Christmas Pud.
Even though it’s such an easy thing to make, (seriously, it’s really SO easy – stir – soak – steam/or bake – devour!) it’s fun to have the whole family involved.
We all take turns giving it a stir, make a wish for the year ahead, and let it work its magic.
We’ve been doing it for years now and although I always seem to get a little nervous/anxious (← read slightly stressed out) because I just want everything to be perfect – I mean we all know that the main meal is just a formality to get the dessert which is always the star of the show, right?! – this pudding turns out perfectly every. single. time.
I’d even go as far as to say it’s fail-proof.
You can steam it, you can bake it, you can add any kind of fruit, a splash of brandy/rum, and as much, or as little spice as you like.
It’s hearty, yet light, seriously moist, and perfectly spiced.
Packed with all of those, much loved, heart and belly-warming, traditional, Christmas/holiday flavors – minus the gluten, dairy & refined sugars.
Make it weeks in advance, it’s stores incredible well in the fridge or freezer, or you can do it a day or two before the feast and festivity begin.
Serve it simply as it is, either hot or cold, with a drizzle of cream, custard, ice-cream or both.
It’s not fancy, no bells and whistles, but it’s fun to make, fun to eat and fun to share with the ones you love.
* Gluten Free * Dairy Free * Grain Free * Refined Sugar Free * Paleo Friendly*
For my visual learners, click here for a quick, cook-a-long reel or for slower paced step-by-step pics & FAQ including flour alternatives & how to make a DIY pudding tin/bowl – click here . Let me know if you have any other questions.
From me and mine to you and yours, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest Holidays – I hope you love it as much as we do.
Enjoy xo
Gluten Free - Paleo - Traditional Christmas Pudding
- Cook Time: 90-180 mins (depending on chosen method)
- Persons: 10+
- Difficulty: Easy
- Ingredients
- 2 cups of mixed dried fruit – I use a combination of dates, figs, sultanas, raisins, cherries and cranberries
- 1 small green apple, grated
- 2 Tablespoons of apple juice (sub brandy/rum if you like)
- 2 Tbsp grass fed butter, coconut oil or ghee softened
- 1/4 Cup brown monk fruit sweetener (or coconut sugar/ brown sugar or granulated sweetener of choice)
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 Cup almond meal
- 2 Tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, stir together dried fruits, apple and juice until combined, and then set aside for an hour or 2 – I like to let mine soak in the fridge overnight.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until pale and creamy. You may need to stop and scrape the sides down occasionally. You can do this with a stand mixer, hand heald beaters or just by hand with a spoon.
- Add in your egg, vanilla and maple syrup and beat to combine – The mixture may look curdled at this stage – don’t freak out, it’s all good – promise.
- Sift flours, baking soda and all spice into your butter batter and stir to combine.
- Add your soaked fruit and stir again until well combined.
- Traditional Steaming Method –
- Pour batter into your pudding tin and place into a pot (with a tight fitting lid) filled with enough water to come about 3/4 up your pudding tin
- Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and steam for 2 hours. You may need to top up the water occasionally.
- Allow to cool, then wrap and store in the fridge until it’s time to feast!
- Oven Bake Method –
- Pe-heat oven to 175’C/350’F
- Grease or line a cake pan/loaf tin
- Pour batter in to your prepared pan, cover with foil and bake for 90 mins – 2 hours just keep an eye on it, you’ll know it’s done when it’s set and a toothpick has a few crumbs attached when inserted into the center (+ your kitchen smells like Christmas)
- It will keep well, tightly wrapped in the fridge for a good 3 weeks – you can also freeze for 3+ months.
- Enjoy xo
_________________________________________
Question of the day –
What’s your fave holiday tradition?
Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your Christmas pudding (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.
Do it, do it You know you want to
__________________________________________
[…] A traditional holiday recipe from England with fruit and spices, just like what you’d expect the food from Harry Potter food to be like. (via Better with Cake) […]
Hello, and thanks for the recipe! I’m wondering what size pudding basin this recipe fills? Cheers.
Hey Elise,
You’re very welcome. The pudding basin I have says it’s 1 litre which a quick google tells me is about 540grams. I hope that helps and that you love this pudding as much as we do!
Em xo
Amazing! Thanks.
My absolute pleasure, enjoy xo
Hi will this christmas pudding reheat.
happy yule
kirsty x
Hi Kristy,
It certainly does! You can just pop it in the microwave to reheat.
Happy Yule to you too xo
Amazing! Thanks.
Hallo, klingt sehr lecker. Welche Gewürze passen denn am besten?
Und bei wie viel Grad im Ofen backen? Ginge auch eine Gugelhupfform? 🤔
Liebe Grüße
Anja
I used “mixed spice” which is a combination of cinnamon, allspice & nutmeg. I just buy it at my local supermarket.
Bake at 175’C/350’F. I have not tested that particular pan but you really should be able to use any kind of pan you like.
Hope this helps. Enjoy xo
Hi,
I love the look of this and would like to try the steam method. Do you cover the pudding bowl in the saucepan? I remember my mum doinf something fancy with greaseproof paper and string?!
TIA
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
Yes, you will need to cover the pudding bowl while its in the saucepan. If you don’t have a pudding tin (I got mine for $15 from “house” but you could probably find on Amazon too) you can make a lid using greaseproof paper, foil & string. I have a highlight story set with step by step instructions on my instagram. You can check it out here – https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTEyMTg0Nzk0MjA5MDk0?story_media_id=2733906349334044543
Hope that helps xo
That’s great, thanks for your help Emma.
Merry Christmas! x
My absolute pleasure, Merry Christmas to you too, Nikki xo