By
delicious. team
This suet-free Christmas pudding provides a light finish to your Christmas lunch.
Ingredients
- 285g raisins
- 285g sultanas
- 250g pitted prunes
- 250g dried apricots
- 75g dried apple
- Grated zest of 1 large orange
- 1 large eating apple, peeled, cored and grated
- 150g fresh white or brown breadcrumbs
- 75g blanched almonds, chopped
- 75g flaked almonds
- 75g ground almonds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp each ground nutmeg, mace, cloves and allspice
- 5 cardamom pods, seeds ground
- 3 tbsp marmalade
- 4 tbsp walnut or groundnut oil
- 5 tbsp concentrated apple juice (from health food shops)
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 100ml brandy, plus extra to serve
- 125ml oloroso sherry
Method
- 1. Put the raisins and sultanas in a large bowl. Finely chop the prunes, dried apricots and dried apple, then add to the bowl with the orange zest and grated apple.
- 2. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and spices, then mix. In a separate bowl, beat the marmalade, oil, apple juice, honey, eggs, brandy and sherry until blended and frothy (you could use a food processor), then pour it over the dry ingredients.
- 3. Mix well with a wooden spoon, then cover and leave it overnight in a cool place (but not the fridge) to allow the spices to infuse and the flavours to develop.
- 4. Grease a 2 litre round pudding mould (see tip) and fill it with the pudding mix. It won’t expand much during cooking so don’t worry about filling the mould almost completely. Seal the pudding mould and secure it on its stand.
- 5. Place in a large lidded saucepan and pour boiling water into the pan to come almost halfway up the mould. Cover and simmer for 5-6 hours, topping up the water regularly. Allow to cool, then remove from the mould and wrap in muslin and foil.
- 6. To reheat the pudding on the day, return it to the mould or steam in its muslin for 2 hours until piping hot throughout. Place on a serving plate. To flame the pudding, heat a ladleful of brandy, then light with a match and carefully pour it over the pudding. Serve with the Calvados cream.
Nutritional info
Per serving(based on 20): 309kcals, 10.6g fat (1.2g saturated), 6.8g protein, 42.5g carbs (37.9g sugars), 0.3g salt, 3.9g fibre
Chef's tip
We’ve made our pudding into the traditional round shape to give it the look of Christmas past. You can buy round moulds at amazon.co.uk – or use a 1.7 litre pudding basin.
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