Christmas Pudding is a popular tradition on the Christmas dessert menu. You can keep the tradition alive, or start a new tradition, by giving the trusted and familiar Christmas Pudding a refreshing update with these delicious Christmas Pudding recipe variations. Or if you find it hard to stray from the much-loved, well-worn traditions, maybe you could do both the old and the new!
Best Ever Slow Cooker Christmas Pudding
The trusty slow cooker is not just for beef stew in the winter. Add the slow cooker to your Christmas feast arsenal and give this Best Ever Slow Cooker Christmas Pudding recipe a try. Set it cooking Christmas morning and then you don’t have to do anything else until it’s ready to serve! Or check out the tip and prep it well in advance to reheat on the day.
Prep: 15 Mins
Cook: 390 Mins
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ¾ cups finely chopped pitted dates (250g)
- ½ cup butterscotch-flavoured schnapps
- 1 1/3 cups finely chopped dried peaches (200g packet)
- 2 Granny Smith apples (300g), peeled, cored, coarsely grated
- 1 cup chopped raisins
- Cooking oil spray
- ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup golden syrup
- 175g unsalted butter, melted
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs (90g)
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 3 teaspoons mixed spice
- Custard to serve
METHOD:
- Place dates in a medium bowl.
- Combine schnapps and ¼ cup of water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until hot. Pour over dates. Stir to combine. Stand covered for 5 minutes.
- Transfer dates to an extra-large bowl. Stir in peaches, apples, and raisins. Stand, covered overnight, to soak.
- Lightly spray a metal pudding steamer (8-cup capacity) with cooking oil. Line base and side with five x 6cm wide strips of baking paper.
- Add sugar, syrup, butter, eggs and breadcrumbs to fruit mixture. Mix well. Stir in combined sifted flour and spice. Spoon into prepared steamer. Smooth over top.
- Place a pleated piece of baking paper then foil over top of steamer. Tie firmly with kitchen string to secure. Cover with metal lid.
- Place a small, heatproof saucer upside down in the centre of a removable bowl of a 5-6 litre capacity slow cooker. Sit steamer on saucer. Pour in enough cold water, about 7 cups, to come three-quarters of the way up the side of steamer. Cover cooker tightly with two sheets of foil, then cover with lid.
- Cook on HIGH setting for 6 hours. Pudding is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove pudding steamer. Stand for 30 minutes. Remove lid and foil. Turn out pudding onto a plate. Remove lining paper.
- Serve warm pudding with warm custard.
TIP! Pudding can be made up to one month ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, invert pudding onto a microwave-safe plate lined with baking paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Microwave on Low (30%) for about 15 minutes, or until hot.
Recipe Source: www.newideafood.com.au
Cherry Pecan Christmas Pudding
Sneak in your serves of fruit, veg and nuts with this Cherry Pecan Christmas Pudding. It’s a little lighter than a traditional pudding but still packed full of festive flavour.
Cook: 995 Mins
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 300 g mixed dried fruit
- 200 g glacé cherries
- 50 g mixed peel
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- 1 orange, zested and segments cut out
- 100 g light muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 100 ml brandy
- 50 ml Disaronno
- 100 g butter, frozen, plus extra for greasing (around 25g)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 50 g blanched almonds, half of quantity chopped
- 50 g pecans, half of quantity chopped
- 100 g self-raising flour
- 175 g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- Sprig of holly, to decorate (optional)
METHOD:
- Put the mixed fruit, halved glacé cherries, mixed peel, carrot, and lemon and orange zest in a bowl with the sugar and spice. Pour in the lemon juice and alcohol, and stir really well. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
- Heat oven to 160C/140C fan and put a full kettle of water on to boil. Grease a 1.5-litre pudding basin and put a disc of baking parchment in the base. Stir the eggs into the fruit mixture, then stir in the chopped nuts, flour and breadcrumbs. Finally, grate in the frozen butter, stirring the mixture frequently so that it evenly disperses.
- For the topping, mix the soft butter and golden syrup together, and spread over the bottom of the basin. Pile in the whole cherries, orange segments and whole nuts, breaking the pecans in half as you add them. Try not to just make a thick layer of fruit and nuts on the base – ease some up the side too. Spoon in the pudding mixture and level the top, then cover with baking parchment and foil. Tie the top with string or an extra-large rubber band, then place in a roasting tin and pour in the water from the kettle. Cover the whole thing with a tent of foil to seal in all the steam, then place in the oven for 6 hrs. This gives a light pudding, so if you prefer a darker one, cook for up to 8 hrs. Will keep in the fridge for 1 month. If you want it to last longer, omit the orange segments.
- To serve, steam in a large pan with an upturned saucer on the base for 2 hrs, then turn out and decorate with holly, if you like. Serve with Brandy syrup cream (right).
Recipe Source: www.newideafood.com.au
Raspberry Brioche Pudding
Turn up the dial on bread and butter pudding with brioche and raspberries. This delicious Raspberry Brioche Pudding would make a tasty treat for Christmas morning breakfast or of course as part of your Christmas dessert menu.
Cook: 45 Mins
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 300 ml pure cream plus extra to serve
- 1 cup milk (250 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- ½ cup caster sugar (110 g)
- 300 g brioche bread
- 300 g box frozen raspberries
- 4 eggs
METHOD:
- Place cream, milk, paste and half the sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is hot. Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl. Cool.
- Cut bread into 2cm-thick slices. Cut each slice diagonally in half.
- Place raspberries and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Toss to coat. Scatter half the raspberries over base of a rectangular ovenproof dish (8-cup capacity). Arrange bread over top. Sprinkle remaining raspberries over bread, tucking some in between layers.
- Whisk eggs into cooled cream mixture. Pour over bread. Stand for 10 minutes, or until cream mixture has soaked in.
- Place dish in a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into pan to come halfway up sides of the dish.
- Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for about 25 minutes, or until egg mixture has set and top is crisp and golden. Stand for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with dollop cream.
Recipe Source: www.newideafood.com.au