Gingerbread Christmas Pudding
This decadently spiced pud is topped with a ginger caramel sauce for extra indulgence. Yes please!
Ingredients
For The Christmas Pudding
- 175 g Raisins
- 175 g Sultanas
- 100 g Medjool dates, stoned and finely chopped
- 25 g Chopped mixed peel
- 100 ml Apple juice
- 50 ml Brandy
- Butter, to grease
- 150 g Grated apple
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp Mixed spice
- 2 tsp Ground ginger
- 3 balls Stem ginger/Ginger Preserves, drained and finely chopped
- 100 g Dark brown soft sugar
- 75 g Treacle
- 75 g Golden syrup
- 100 g Plain flour
- 75 g Fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 25 g Vegetarian suet
For The Ginger Caramel Sauce
- 50 g Caster sugar
- 50 ml Water
- 150 ml Double cream
- 15 g Unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp Ginger syrup
Instructions
For The Christmas Pudding
- Put the dried fruit, mixed peel, apple juice and brandy into a large non-metallic bowl. Mix, cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.
- Grease a 900ml pudding basin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment. Put a 30.5cm square of foil on top of a square of baking parchment of the same size. Fold a 4cm pleat in the centre and set aside.
- Add remaining ingredients to the soaked fruit, mixing well. Transfer to the basin and press down. Put the foil and parchment (foil side up) on top and smooth down to cover. Tie a long piece of string securely under the lip of the basin and loop over the top to create a handle.
- To cook, put a heatproof saucer into a large pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Lower in the pudding and pour in water to halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover with the lid, bring to a boil and simmer for 4½hr, topping up the water as necessary.
- Remove the pudding from the pan and leave to cool completely. Wrap the entire basin in a layer of clingfilm followed by a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place and leave to mature for up to 2 months.
For The Ginger Caramel Sauce
- Heat the caster sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and bubble until a deep caramel colour – do not stir, rather swirl the pan.
- Remove from heat and slowly stir in the double cream, followed by the unsalted butter and ginger syrup (from a stem ginger jar).
- Return to the heat to dissolve any hardened sugar, stirring. Bubble for a couple of min. Take off heat. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature over, or alongside, the pudding.
To Reheat Christmas Pudding
- Remove clingfilm and foil and re-cover with a new lid as per instructions in steps 2 and 3. Following method in step 4, steam for 1½hr until piping hot in the centre when pierced with a skewer. Remove from the pan and leave to sit for 5min. Remove lid and invert on to a serving plate. Peel off baking parchment and serve with Ginger Caramel Sauce, if you like.
Notes
Tip: Get ahead by making the Ginger Caramel Sauce up to a day ahead. Cool, cover and chill. To serve, reheat gently in a pan.
One serving of Ginger Caramel Sauce is 1 Tbsp. Per 1 Tbsp: 74cals, 0g protein, 6g fat (4g saturates), 5g carbs (5g total sugars), 0g fibre
Per Serving of Gingerbread Christmas Pudding: 408cals, 5g protein, 4g fat (2g saturates), 83g carbs (68g total sugars), 3g fibre