Get the Recipe: Christmas Pudding (without suet)
Traditional Christmas pudding (Plum Pudding) made without suet. Served with a warm butter and rum sauce.
Ingredients
For the Christmas pudding:
- 1/2 cup seedless raisins (Thompson)
- 1/2 cup seeded raisins , I used Sultanas
- 1/4 cup currants
- 4 oz mixed dried fruit, *see Note 1 below
- 2 oz mixed dried peel, *see Note 2 below
- 1/4 cup slivered or flaked almonds
- 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup frozen solid vegetable shortening, grated *see Note 3 below
- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, *see Note 4 below
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 3/4 cup apple, cored, peeled or unpeeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1 1/2 large eggs, well beaten *see Note 5 below
- 3 Tablespoons cold black coffee
For the butter rum sauce:
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons rum, or to taste
Instructions
- Tip! This recipe will make a small pudding, but as Christmas pudding is quite rich, servings will be smaller. This pudding should feed 8-10. You can double the recipe to feed more. Steaming time will increase accordingly.
- Do ahead! Place the measured vegetable shortening into the freezer at least a couple of hours before starting the recipe.
- Prepare a large pot (that has a lid), and that is large enough to hold your pudding bowl or tin with at least an inch open between the outside of the bowl and the pot. Add 4-5 inches of water and bring to a simmer on the stovetop.
- Tip! A glass Pyrex mixing bowl is perfect for steaming puddings. I used a 7-cup one here, which was only filled about 1/2 way with the pudding batter. I could probably have used a 5 or 6-cup bowl. Be sure not to fill the bowl more than about 2/3 full to allow for expansion.
- Prepare a steaming bowl or tin by greasing the inside generously with shortening or cooking spray. Optionally, you can also place a small greased round of parchment paper on the bottom of the bowl to help release the pudding later. Set aside.
- Wash and dry the raisins and currants, and place them into a large bowl. Add the dried mixed fruit, dried peel and almonds to the bowl and stir together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the fruit and stir together well.
- Remove the vegetable shortening from the freezer and use a box grater to grate the shortening into the bowl with the fruit. Using your fingertips, mix the shortening in with the fruit, breaking the shortening into small pieces that are evenly incorporated in the mixture. Add the bread crumbs, brown sugar, shredded apple and shredded carrot and stir together well. Add the coffee to the egg, and add this mixture to the bowl. Stir together well.
- Add the pudding batter to a glass bowl or pudding tin, filling not more than 2/3 full. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the bowl, then a piece of aluminum foil overtop of the parchment. Seal the foil around the edge of the bowl, then use a piece of string to tie the foil around the outside near the top of the bowl. Tying the string with a firm bow instead of a knot makes opening the pudding to test easier later on! Optionally, you can also make a string handle by doubling up a piece of string and attaching it to opposite sides of the string running around the outside of the bowl, allowing a little excess. This will make the removal of the pudding from the pot easier later.
- Add a metal English muffin ring (or a metal tart ring) to the bottom of the pot of simmering water. Gently place the wrapped pudding into the pot, resting it on top of the metal ring. The water should come about 1/2 way up the pudding bowl. Add additional water, if necessary.
- Tip! Steaming time will vary depending on the type and size of the pudding container. Be sure to steam the pudding until the tester indicates a clean result.
- Cover the pot with a lid and steam the pudding for 3-4 hours, checking the pot regularly to make sure there is sufficient water in the pot and that it is gently simmering. Add additional water at any time, if needed. Steam until the pudding tests clean when a cake tester is inserted into the centre of the pudding.
- Tip! You can't really over-steam a pudding, but you can definitely under-steam it. Be sure to test to check for doneness rather than relying on time.
- Carefully remove the pudding from the pot, uncover and let cool in the bowl or tin until completely cooled. If you intend to re-steam the pudding later to serve, leave the pudding in the bowl and cover tightly with fresh parchment and aluminum foil. If you expect to reheat the pudding in the microwave, you can remove the pudding from the bowl and wrap it tightly to store. Store the pudding in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks
- To reheat, re-steam the pudding in the bowl for 45-60 minutes or simply microwave to reheat. To serve, place the rewarmed pudding upside down onto a serving plate and pour warm butter rum sauce over the top. Use a spoon or a knife to portion out small pieces of pudding (it's quite rich, so small servings are fine) and pass additional butter rum sauce.
- For the butter rum sauce: Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Carefully taste the sauce (it's hot!!) and add additional rum, if desired. Serve immediately or transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until needed. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan or in the microwave.
- Tip! Christmas pudding freezes well if making well ahead or for leftovers.
Notes
Nutritional information is for the pudding only.
FOOD SAFETY NOTE! Holly is a typical decoration for a Christmas pudding, but I recommend artificial holly, as holly berries are poisonous to pets and humans.
Note 1: "Mixed dried fruit" can be any combination of dried fruits, such as simply more raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries. Dates or prunes are also an option here. You can mix and match to the total weight required.
Note 2: Mixed dried peel can often be found in the baking aisle during the holiday season in small plastic containers or at bulk stores, such as Bulk Barn in Canada. If you aren't a fan of peel, omit the peel and replace it with a similar weight of additional dried fruit.
Note 3: Even after freezing, solid vegetable shortening will still be somewhat soft, but freezing it makes it easier (less messy) to grate. You can replace the vegetable shortening with an equal amount of suet, if you like. Frozen butter could be used in a pinch, but work quickly to avoid it softening too much. Butter may produce a heavier and greasier pudding.
Note 4: For fresh bread crumbs, simply process a fresh piece of bread (crusts removed) in a food processor. Don't use dried bread crumbs.
Note 5: To get the 1 1/2 eggs, break one egg into a small bowl and pour off/discard 1/2 of it, then add the other whole egg. Whisk together well with a fork before adding to the pudding.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips, substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 390kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 191mg, Potassium: 460mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 1120IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 96mg, Iron: 2mg
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