Cranberry, Almond and Orange Christmas Pudding

By Elaine Lemm

Updated 12/08/17

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Ratings (8)
  • Total: 8 hrs 45 mins
  • Prep: 45 mins
  • Cook: 8 hrs
  • Marinating Time: 12 hrs
  • Yield: Serves 8

Christmas Pudding plays such a large part in the traditional Christmas dinner. This Cranberry, Almond and Orange Christmas Pudding is a slightly lighter version than the original yet is stacked with flavor just the same.

Christmas pudding is best made well in advance to allow it to mature which traditionally is made on 'Stir it up Sunday' the Sunday before Advent around the end of November.

They may be a large number of ingredients in this recipe which may seem a little daunting but simply assemble all your ingredients in advance, and the rest is easy.

Ingredients

  • 150 g. currants
  • 150 g. dried cranberries
  • 150 g. golden raisins or sultanas
  • 25 g. mixed candied peel (finely chopped)
  • 4 tbsp. Amaretto
  • 4 tbsp. Cointreau
  • 55 g. self-raising flour (sifted)
  • 1 level tsp. ground mixed spice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 110 g. shredded suet, beef or vegetarian
  • 110 g. soft, dark brown sugar
  • 110 g. white fresh bread crumbs
  • 25 g. whole shelled almonds (roughly chopped)
  • 2 large, fresh eggs

Steps to Make It

  1. Lightly grease a 1.4 liter / 17cm pudding basin.

  2. Place the dried fruits and candied peel into a large bowl. Add the Amaretto and stir well. Cover the bowl and leave to soak for a few hours, overnight if you can.

  3. Ina another large bowl, stir together the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon. Add in the suet, sugar, bread crumbs, nuts and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the Cointreau then finally add the marinaded fruits and stir again.

  4. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork in a small bowl. Add the eggs to the dry ingredients and the fruits and stir well. The mixture should have a loose consistency, if it is too dry add a little milk to soften.

  5. Spoon the mixture in to the  pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon to make sure there are no gaps or air pockets. Cover the basin with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then covered with a layer of aluminum foil. Tie the papaer and foil onto the basin with string. All this covering is to make sure the steam in cooking does not get into the pudding. 

  6. Place the pudding into a steamer and set over a large saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level often to make sure it never dries out, The pudding is cooked when it is slightly risen in the paper, and is quite solid when gently pressed.  The pudding is not a light cake but instead is a darkish, sticky and dense sponge.

  7. Remove the pudding from the steamer and leave to cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer and pour in a little extra Amaretto. Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with string. Store in a cool dry place until Christmas day.

  8. Note: The pudding cannot be eaten immediately, it really does need to be stored and rested then reheated on Christmas Day. Eating the pudding immediately after cooking will cause it to collapse and the flavours will not have had time to mature.

  9. On Christmas day reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Serve with anyone of these lovely accompaniments. Brandy or Rum Sauce, Brandy Butter or Custard.

  10. Left over Christmas pudding can be reheated by wrapping tightly in aluminum foil and heating through in a hot oven.