Christmas Pudding with Homemade Brandy Butter

Christmas pudding is a festive classic and is very easy to create at home. It's always great to make days before the big day to get a moist and flavoursome result.

Prep Time
20 Minutes
Cook Time
7 Hours
Servings

For the Pudding

  • 150g raisins, black 150g raisins, black
  • 150g raisins, golden 150g raisins, golden
  • 150g prunes, dried, coarsely chopped 150g prunes, dried, coarsely chopped
  • 170ml Mavrodafni (sweet fortified wine) 170ml Mavrodafni (sweet fortified wine)
  • 100g all-purpose flour 100g all-purpose flour
  • 150g breadcrumbs 150g breadcrumbs
  • 150g brandy butter, cut into small cubes 150g brandy butter, cut into small cubes
  • 150g Tate & Lyle Light Brown Soft Sugar 150g Tate & Lyle Light Brown Soft Sugar
  • 1tsp cinnamon 1tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4tsp cloves, ground 1/4tsp cloves, ground
  • 1tsp baking powder 1tsp baking powder
  • lemon zest, of 1 lemon lemon zest, of 1 lemon
  • 4 eggs, medium 4 eggs, medium
  • 1 apple 1 apple
  • 2tbsp honey 2tbsp honey
  • 120g vodka, to flambé 120g vodka, to flambé

For the Brandy Butter

  • 200g salted butter, softened 200g salted butter, softened
  • 175g Tate & Lyle Icing Sugar 175g Tate & Lyle Icing Sugar
  • 1tsp vanilla paste, or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod 1tsp vanilla paste, or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod
  • 5-7 tbsp brandy 5-7 tbsp brandy

Instructions

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

For the Pudding

  1. Place a saucepan over low heat.
  2. Add the black raisins, golden raisins, prunes and mavrodaphni.
  3. Heat for 3-4 minutes, until the fruit soften and set aside to cool.
  4. Place a large pot filled with water over medium heat and bring to a boil.
  5. You will need a 20 cm round steamed pudding mold that can hold 1.7 litres.
  6. Generously grease both mold and lid with butter.
  7. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients apart from the vodka and stir with a wooden spoon.
  8. Add the fruit mixture and stir just to distribute them.
  9. Transfer mixture to prepared pudding mold and press down on it to spread evenly. Cover with lid.
  10. Transfer to pot with boiling water, making sure that the pudding mold is always submerged in the water up to the middle. You have to check on it often to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate and fall beneath this point. If it does, simply add more water so that it is submerged again up to the middle.
  11. Lower heat and simmer covered with lid for 4 hours.
  12. When ready, carefully remove the pudding mold from the pot and set aside at room temperature.
  13. You can prepare the pudding days ahead, covered, and leave it at room temperature until you want to serve it.
  14. Before serving you need to boil it in the same way for another 3 hours.
  15. When ready, carefully remove it from the pot, remove the lid and turn out on to a serving platter.

For the Brandy Butter

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale, then whisk in the brandy, 1 tbsp at a time, until you are pleased with the taste. Scrape into a serving bowl and chill for 1 hr or for up to 3 days, before serving. Freeze for up to a month.