PLUM PUDDING

Plum pudding image

A traditional, long-life Christmas plum pudding that's deliciously dark, rich and fruity

Provided by Jeni Wright

Time 8h

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

85g self-raising flour
¾ tsp ground mixed spice
140g shredded suet
85g fresh white breadcrumb
140g dark muscovado sugar
140g raisin
140g sultana
140g currant
25g mixed candied peel , chopped
finely grated zest and juice of 1 small orange
finely grated zest and juice of 1 small lemon
25g glacé cherry , chopped (optional)
1 small carrot , grated
3 tbsp sweet stout (we used Mackeson)
2 tsp black treacle
brandy , to feed

Steps:

Stir the flour, spice, suet, breadcrumbs and sugar in a large bowl. Tip in the fruit, peel, cherries (if using) and carrot, then stir well to mix. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined.
Spoon the mixture into a buttered 1.2 litre pudding bowl (with a buttered disc of greaseproof paper in the bottom) and press down well, leaving room for the pudding to rise a little during steaming. Cover with a circle of buttered greaseproof paper, then cover with pudding cloth or foil and tie securely with string.
Stand the bowl on an upturned saucer in a saucepan and half fill with boiling water. Cover tightly and steam for 8 hours, topping up the water as necessary. Leave to cool in the pan.
Remove the pudding from the pan and discard the cloth or foil and paper. Then cover with fresh greaseproof paper and cloth. Store your pudding in a cool, dry place until required - you can feed it with a few tablespoons of brandy once in a while. Before serving, steam again for 2-3 hours.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 481 calories, Fat 17 grams fat, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 77 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 19.5 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 6 grams protein, Sodium 0.45 milligram of sodium