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Christmas Plum Pudding
Prep
30 mins
Cook
5 hrs
Servings
20
Difficulty
Hard
This traditional Christmas plum pudding is a beloved holiday classic that I've made year after year. The recipe comes together quite simply with just basic pantry staples and dried fruits, making it both affordable and straightforward to prepare. What I love most is that whole wheat flour gives this pudding a wonderful nutritional boost, adding extra fiber and minerals compared to white flour alone. The combination of fresh plums, dried fruits, warming spices, and a splash of ale creates that rich, deeply satisfying flavor everyone expects during the festive season. Though it takes about five hours to steam, most of that time is hands off, so you can focus on other holiday preparations while this beauty cooks away.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 11 cup whole wheat flour
- 22 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs
- 44 ounces shredded suet
- 33 eggs, beaten
- 11 small carrot, grated
- 11 apple - peeled, cored and shredded
- ½ cup dark brown sugar½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped blanched almonds½ cup chopped blanched almonds
- 22 ounces preserved stem ginger in syrup, chopped
- ⅛ cup ground almonds⅛ cup ground almonds
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, ⅜ cup halved candied cherries½ cup chopped walnuts, ⅜ cup halved candied cherries
- ⅓ cup raisins, ⅜ cup dried currants, ⅜ cup golden raisins⅓ cup raisins, ⅜ cup dried currants, ⅜ cup golden raisins
- 44 ounces candied mixed fruit peel, chopped
- 44 plums, pitted and chopped
- 11 lemon, juiced and zested
- 11 ½ teaspoons mixed spice
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup ale½ cup ale
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, combine flour, bread crumbs, suet, eggs, carrot, apple, brown sugar, chopped blanched almonds, stem ginger, ground almonds, cherries, raisins, currants, golden raisins, mixed peel, plums, lemon juice and zest, mixed spice, baking powder and ale. Let each family member take a turn stirring and make a wish. If you have used more dry fruit than fresh, add a little extra ale to make the mixture less stiff.
- 2
Grease 2 large or 4 small pudding basins. Fill with pudding mixture about 7/8 full. Cover tightly with greased waxed paper, then foil; secure with string. Stand pudding on a trivet in a large pot of boiling water that reaches halfway up the sides of the pudding basin. Steam puddings over medium-low heat in boiling water 10 hours for large puddings, 5 hours for small puddings, topping off water regularly until quite firm and set.
- 3
If not serving immediately, let cool completely, then replace covers with fresh waxed paper and foil and store in a cool, dry place, basting from time to time with rum or brandy, for up to 3 months. To serve, reheat by steaming 2 to 3 hours.
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