Classic Christmas pudding
A rich, traditional British Christmas pudding studded with raisins, candied peel and almonds, infused with nutmeg and brandy—deeply fruity and perfect served flaming with brandy butter.
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
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Ingredients
Pudding
- 50 g almonds
- 2 pcs Bramley apples
- 200 g candied peel
- 1 pcs nutmeg
- 1000 g raisins
- 140 g plain flour
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 100 g muscovado sugar
- 3 pcs eggs
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 250 g butter
Brandy butter
- 85 g butter (for brandy butter)
- 1 orange zest
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1.5 tbsp brandy or cognac
- 30 g stem ginger (chopped)
Directions
- Chop almonds coarsely; peel, core and chop Bramley apples; chop candied peel by hand; grate 3/4 of the nutmeg.
- Mix almonds, apples, candied peel, grated nutmeg, raisins, flour, breadcrumbs, muscovado sugar, eggs and 2 tbsp brandy in a large bowl.
- Grate the butter into the mixture in portions (holding butter in wrapper) and stir until mixture subsides slightly after each stir, about 3-4 minutes.
- Generously butter two 1.2 litre bowls, line bottoms with circles of baking parchment and pack in the pudding mixture.
- Cover with double layer of pleated baking parchment, tie with string and wrap each bowl in two sheets of foil to make watertight packages; add a string handle for lifting.
- Boil or oven-steam puddings for 8 hours, topping up water as necessary; remove from pans and cool overnight.
- Discard old wrappings when cold, re-wrap in fresh parchment, foil and string and store in a cool dry place until Christmas.
- To make brandy butter: cream butter with orange zest and icing sugar, gradually beat in brandy and chopped stem ginger; chill to set.
- On Christmas Day, boil or oven-steam puddings for 1 hour, unwrap and turn out.
- To flame: warm 3–4 tbsp brandy, pour over pudding and set alight.