Description
This is the easiest Christmas pudding recipe and takes under an hour to make. No slaving over boiling pans, and the end result is much lighter and tastier than the traditional version. It’s Christmas pudding for the 21st Century.
Ingredients
- 300g homemade mincemeat (or good quality shop-bought)
- 2 eggs
- 120g self-raising flour
- 220g light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp treacle
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 150g sultanas
- 120ml barrel-aged beer (I use Innis & Gunn’s Rum Finish)
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp rum or brandy
- 120g frozen butter
- 1 small apple (usually a cooking apple, like a Bramley)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- Zest of an orange
Instructions
Take the frozen butter and grate it into a large bowl (this seems like a total faff, but it helps distribute the butter evenly without having more liquid in the bowl by using melted butter). Peel, core and chop your apple into cubes, then add it to the bowl.
Put the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well with a large wooden spoon.
Grease your pudding bowl (I use a 1-litre pudding bowl) and put a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom. Pour the pudding mixture into the bowl and cover with cling film. Poke a few holes in the top to let the steam out.
Put it in the microwave and cook on a medium to medium-high setting (should be about 500wt) and cook it for 20 minutes. Once the time is up, check it is cooked by sticking a skewer in - if it comes out clean, you’re done. If it comes out sticky, cook for a further 5 minutes. Repeat the process until your pudding is cooked.
Severing straight away: Leave the pudding in the bowl for about five minutes (covered) and then turn out onto a plate and serve with brandy or butter and by dusting with icing sugar and adding decorations like cranberries or holly on top.
Making ahead: Let the bowl cool completely with the lid off. Once cold, cover and keep in the fridge until required. When you’re ready to serve it, microwave for 4 minutes and then allow it to rest for 2 minutes before serving.
Notes
The kind of beer you use will have quite an impact on the final pudding. Avoid using a really fizzy lager or beers that are heavy on the hops, like an IPA. I’ve found Innis & Gunn’s Rum Finish gives me the flavour I’m after, but any barrel-aged beer should work quite nicely. Look for something well-rounded.
If you’re using a larger greaseproof paper circle in the bottom - I use a cake tin liner - cut from one edge to the centre, this will allow you to fit it into the space more easily by overlapping a bit.
- Category: Christmas
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: easy microwave christmas pudding