Traditional Christmas Pudding

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Traditional Christmas Pudding gracing your festive table! Read my tips on how to prepare the best Xmas pudding on Stir Up Sunday – easy to steam in a Slow Cooker on the hob. Recipe in collaboration with the Royal Mint.

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You will also love my Gingerbread Cake

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Published November 2016, Updated November 2019

What’s a Christmas Pudding then?

For those not having grown up with it, Christmas pudding is a type of sweet steamed pudding served on Christmas day as part of the traditional festive dinner.

This steamed pudding has origins stretching all the way back to Medieval England so you are tasting a part of history! It is also known as Plum Pudding although it doesn’t actually contain any plums. Confused? Pre-Victorians used the term ‘plums’ when referring to raisins.

The tradition of Stir Up Sunday

I am fascinated by the lore surrounding seasonal bakes and none is more steeped in tradition than Christmas pudding. Said to have been introduced to the Victorians by Prince Albert, the Christmas pudding is lovingly mixed by families on Stir Up Sunday – the last Sunday before Advent.

Each member of the family gets to take a turn stirring the mixture – from East to West to honour the Three Wise Men – while making a special wish for the year ahead. 

A silver coin is added to the pudding mixture to bring good luck before steaming it. The pudding is then stored and steamed again on Christmas day ready to serve with a sprig of holly as a festive crown.

The tradition of the silver sixpence

Putting a silver coin in the festive pudding is a lovely old custom that dates back to the Twelfth Night Cake. The tradition exists in many cultures – in Greece we put a coin in the Vasilopita served on New Years Day.

Finding the hidden coin is meant to bring good luck to the person who finds it. Wrap your lucky coin in some foil to make it more visible (and warn people when serving the pudding). Take a look at my festive Piñata Cake which is inspired by this tradition.

Christmas Pudding Ingredients

Traditionally composed of 13 ingredients, for Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, this rich Christmas dessert is packed with dried fruit, breadcrumbs, warming spices like nutmeg, cloves and ginger and bound together with suet and egg.

If you make your pudding on Stir Up Sunday then it has a month to age until it is finally served on Christmas Day. After the initial steaming, the pudding is stored so the flavours have a chance to mature and intensify. 

The alcohol – usually brandy although rum, cognac and sherry can be used – prevents the pudding from spoiling. For a gluten free Christmas pudding, simply use gluten free flour and breadcrumbs.

How to make a Christmas Pudding

You will need to start this recipe the night before to allow for the fruit to soak. 

STEP 1. Put the dried fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, and simmer for three minutes. Leave to soak, uncovered, overnight. 

STEP 2. Sift the flour and spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, suet or butter, grated chocolate, apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest.

STEP 3. Mix well with your hands, rubbing the ingredients together, to ensure the mixture is fully blended.

STEP 4. Stir in the soaked fruit, treacle, brandy and beaten egg. Stir in the silver sixpence. It’s traditional for everyone to give the pudding a turn and make a wish or two.

STEP 5. Grease the pudding bowl (I used a Pyrex glass bowl), and pack the Christmas pudding mixture into it.

STEP 6. Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, a few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Fold a pleat into the centre and use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl.

STEP 7. Cover the top with a piece of tin foil then tie it tightly with string. Make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted out of the pan.

STEP 8. If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steamer basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to the boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket. NOTE: If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a jam jar lid so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pot. Fill the pot with boiling water to halfway up the side of the pudding basin.

STEP 9. Cover and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on the pot and top up with boiling water if needed.

STEP 10. Lift the pudding out of the pot after four hours, keeping the greaseproof paper on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months. On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours before serving.

SLOW COOKER CHRISTMAS PUDDING

For me the easiest way to steam your pud is in a Slow Cooker! You don’t have to worry about the level of the water or steam your kitchen up.

STEP 1. Follow the recipe up to step 8. Place the lid of a jam jar or a large cookie cutter into the base of the slow cooker to fashion a trivet.

STEP 2. Place the pudding basin on top of the lid in the slow cooker. Fill the cooker with boiling  water so that it comes three-quarters of the way the side of the pudding bowl.

STEP 3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Remove from the cooker, dry the bowl and store in a cool dark place until Xmas.

STEP 4. To reheat on the Christmas Day. Preheat the slow cooker for 20 minutes to speed things up. Add the pudding on its metal trivet and pour boiling water to three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pudding bowl. Cook on on high for 4 hours.

HOW TO LIGHT A CHRISTMAS PUD

You can’t beat that for a bit of showmanship – be careful if you have long hair tho! Heat 80ml (1/3 cup) brandy in a small saucepan and light it in the pot.

Carefully drizzle the lighted brandy over the pudding (best serve it in a deep plate or stand so that excess brandy can pool at the bottom and not drip).

Have you made my Christmas Pudding Recipe? I would LOVE to see it! Snap a photo, add hashtag #supergoldenbakes and tag @supergolden88 on INSTAGRAM

Traditional Christmas Pudding

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

It wouldn’t be Christmas without this traditional steamed pudding – packed with dried fruit, nuts and spices and with a hidden silver six pence for good luck.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Christmas steamed pudding

Cuisine: English

Keyword: Christmas Pudding Recipe, Slow Cooker Christmas Pudding, Steamed Pudding, Traditional Christmas pudding

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 426kcal

Ingredients

• ▢ 170 g | 6oz sultanas
• ▢ 140 g | 5oz currants
• ▢ 140 g | 5oz raisins
• ▢ 200 ml | 7fl oz water
• ▢ 2 level tbsp plain all purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground mace
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ 55 g | 2oz breadcrumbs
• ▢ 85 g | 3oz shredded vegetarian suet or softened unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 tbsp grated dark chocolate
• ▢ one cooking apple peeled and grated
• ▢ 85 g | 3oz soft dark brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped mixed peel
• ▢ 55 g | 2oz blanched almonds roughly chopped
• ▢ zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• ▢ 1 tbsp black treacle
• ▢ 3 tbsp brandy
• ▢ 1 egg beaten
• ▢ a little butter for greasing the pudding bowl

Instructions

• Put the dried fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, and simmer for three minutes. Leave to soak, uncovered, overnight.
• Sift the flour and spices into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the breadcrumbs, suet or butter, grated chocolate, apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest.
• Mix well with your hands to ensure the mixture is fully blended together.
• Stir in the soaked fruit, treacle, brandy and beaten egg. Stir in the Royal Mint Sixpence. It’s traditional for everyone to give the pudding a turn and make a wish or two.
• Grease the pudding bowl, and pack the Christmas pudding mixture into it.
• Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, a few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Fold a pleat into the centre and use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl.
• Cover the top with a piece of tin foil then tie it tightly with string. Make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted out of the pan.
• If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steamer basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to the boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket.
• If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a jam jar lid so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pot. Fill the pot with boiling water to come up halway up the side of the pudding basin.
• Cover and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on pot and top up with boiling water if needed.
• Lift the pudding out of the pot after four hours, keeping the greaseproof paper on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months.
• On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours, and serve – perhaps with a sprig of holly on top.
• If you want to light the pudding, heat 80ml (1/3 cup) brandy in a small saucepan and light it. Carefully pour the lighted brandy over the pudding (best serve it in a deep plate or stand so that excess brandy can pool at the bottom and not drip).

Video

Notes

You can steam the pudding in your slow cooker instead of a pot, 3-4 hours on high.
Be careful when serving the pudding, especially to children, and warn people about the lucky coin within! Might be best to wrap it in foil so that it is more visible.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 310IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 3mg

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