CHRISTMAS PUDDING + CAKES FOR STIR-UP SUNDAY

My recipe for a squidgy, fruity Christmas pudding laden with prunes and PX sherry plus a delicious nutty rum Christmas cake.

It’s a known fact that I really love Christmas. What I mainly love is the cooking at Christmas. It’s the time of the year where I hang up my work apron, shut the kitchen door and cook whatever I like.

I start my list in November. This year there’s quince cordial, whisky trifle, glazed ham and cider poached pears among many other indulgences. It changes every year, I cook what i’ve been wanting to indulge in through the Autumn and Winter months. The one thing however that never changes are my Christmas cakes and puddings. Every year without fail I make them on stir up Sunday (this year thats the 24th). It’s when Christmas really starts. It forces me to slow down for the day and tend to a steaming hob as the smell gradually gets more fragrant throughout the day and windows steam up.

It’s a tradition that I genuinely really love. I do tweak my puddings and cakes most years. Some times i’ll add apricots and sour cherries or i’ll use stout or brandy. These are two favourite versions if you fancy giving them a go. Really, they require very little hands on time but you do need to dedicate a little time to soak the fruit the night before and you’ll need the whole of Sunday set aside to tend to them.

I pop a film on with a timer for every 30 mins to top up the steamer for the puddings and the cake sits happily below in the oven.

I reckon if you haven’t made one of these before give them a go, start on the cake if you’re nervous about the steaming time. What i’ll say is once you’ve made a homemade Christmas pud, the shop brought never quite cuts the mustard again.

Esther x

PX Sherry and Prune Christmas pudding

PREP 40 mins plus overnight soaking time COOK 8 hours SERVES 8-10

You will need a 2 pint/1.2 litre pudding basin

170g prunes, roughly chopped

150g raisins

100g sultanas

100g currants

30g chopped candied orange peel

1 small cooking apple, cored and finely chopped

1 large orange, zested

200ml PX sherry or Bristol cream sherry

Softened butter, for greasing

110g shredded suet or grated frozen unsalted butter

2 large eggs, beaten

50g self raising flour

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 nutmeg, grated

2 heaped tbsp dark cocoa powder

100g fresh white breadcrumbs

50g blanched hazelnuts or almonds, chopped

225g dark soft brown sugar

Pinch of salt

The night before you want to cook your puddings take your largest mixing bowl. Into the bowl add the prunes, sultanas, raisins, currants, candied orange, apple, orange zest and sherry. Cover and leave to soak overnight or for at least 12 hours.

The next day grease your pudding basin and add a small disc of parchment paper in the base. Set a large steamer over a pan of simmering water.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir everything together. Traditionally you make a wish here, so we all have a turn at stirring in our house!

Spoon the mix into the pudding basin, leaving a couple of cm at the tip for the pudding to expand. Cover with a double layer of baking parchment and foil then tie with string (see instructions below).

Set the pudding in the steamer and steam for 8 hours. This is a long steaming time so you will need to keep an eye on the pudding and top the steamer up with boiling water from the kettle every 30 mins. Once the 8 hours is up turn off the heat and remove the pudding from the steamer. Leave to cool overnight then the next day remove the foil and parchment and discard then put a fresh layer of parchment and foil over the pudding. Store in a cool, dark place until Christmas.

To reheat the pudding steam it just as you have done here but for just 2 hours. Serve with thick double cream and brandy butter or custard, if you like.

Wrapping the pudding -

Lay a large sheet of parchment on your surface then a second then a final layer of foil. Make a pleat down the centre vertically. Wrap the pudding bowl in the paper and foil, positioning the pleat down the centre of the mouth of the bowl. Tie the pudding tightly around the rim with a long piece of string. Pass the extra string over the top of the pudding bowl and tie it under the string on the other side of the bowl to make a handle.

GOOD TO KNOW -

• Make a list of your ingredients and tick them off as you add them to the bowl to make sure you’ve included everything.

• Christmas puddings need to be properly sealed before being steamed to stop them going soggy so make sure to follow the wrapping in the recipe.

• Swap the fruit nuts around according to what you have in your cupboard - as long as the overall weight is the same it doesn’t matter what you use!

• If you want to make this even easier you could purchase a lidded pudding basin and this would cut out the pudding wrapping.

Fruit, nut and rum Christmas cake

PREP 45 mins plus overnight soaking COOK 3 1/2- 4 hours SERVES 12

You will need a 20cm springform cake tin