Christmas Pudding - Et Cetera - Beneath the Waves

Christmas Pudding

In 2013, my friend Lucinvampire and I were discussing differences between Britain and the US, and I ended up learning about a tasty British dessert^[1]. It seems like a very distant relation of the "fruitcake", but is soft, and tastes like regular fruit instead of candied fruit.

I'd never seen one here in the US, but was able to find numerous recipes and videos from the UK detailing how to make one. I modified an existing Christmas pudding recipe to be both vegetarian^[2] (or, optionally, vegan) and gluten-free, and present the result so that other Americans can discover it for themselves. I recommend that everyone try this at least once, even with the extended baking/cooking time.

Equipment

A kitchen scale (this is a little unusual here in the US, but they can be had for very cheap at e.g. Harbor Freight. You will thank me after you try using one^[3]).
A stainless steel mixing bowl of about 2.8 liters capacity (British bakers can use a purpose-made product called a "pudding basin", which is difficult or impossible to obtain in the US).
A second mixing bowl at least as large as the first — an electric mixer is recommended, but the mixing can be performed manually too.
A large tamale-steaming pot — large enough to contain the stainless steel mixing bowl and still have the lid completely closed (British bakers can use a double-boiler capable of accommodating their pudding basin).
If making the vegan variation, a blender is required.

Ingredients

450g dried mixed fruit (I used a mix that Trader Joes carries which is cherries, golden raisins, blueberries, and cranberries)
1 apple, chopped into cubes
Grated zest and juice from 1/2 of a large orange and 1/2 of a lemon
Large dollop of blackcurrant preserves (fresh or dried blackcurrants would be preferred, but those are difficult to find in the US at present)
4-8 tbsp brandy, depending on how jolly the festivities should be
3/4 tsp pumpkin spice mix from Trader Joe's
3/4 tsp Spice Islands pumpkin spice mix
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
110g butter (or Earth Balance to make a vegan version)
110g brown sugar
180g of The Cravings Place "Crumble Coffeecake and Scone Mix" (this is a gluten-free coffeecake mix that is really tasty)
25-40g shelled almonds, sliced or chopped
2 large, fresh eggs
...or, for the vegan version...
1/2 of a banana + 100g silken tofu

Total Preparation Time

About 20 minutes, followed by 4-24 hours of waiting, followed by about 30 minutes, followed by about 7 hours of waiting, plus 1 more hour for the final steaming (13-33 hours total).

Directions

Place the grated zest and juice, brandy, chopped apple, dried fruit, and blackcurrant preserves into the second mixing bowl. Mix well, cover with a clean towel and allow to marinate overnight in a refrigerator. If overnight is not an option, at least 4 hours is recommended. Do not proceed to the next step until the marination is complete.
Butter/grease/apply non-stick spray to the stainless-steel mixing bowl (or pudding basin).
Combine the coffeecake mix, mixed spice, cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts in a mixing bowl and mix them well. I recommend using a mixing machine - just leave it running after the mix is complete, because you'll be adding in more stuff.
If you are making the regular (vegetarian/gluten-free version), you have two options at this time:
- Coarsely grate the butter while it's still frozen, then add that to the dry ingredients. This most closely approximates the original shredded suet in the British recipe.
- Melt the butter into a liquid form, then add it to the dry ingredients. This ensures a more consistent mix.
Add the two eggs, then mix well.
If you are making the vegan version:
- Melt the Earth Balance and pour it into the blender. Add the banana and the silken tofu, then blend at low speed until smooth. Pour the result into the dry ingredients, then mix well.
Add the marinated fruit to the rest of the ingredients, then mix well.
If you wish to fully embrace the British tradition, then at this time each family member should take turns stirring the mix, making wishes, and optionally adding one or more silver coins, which are said to bring luck to the person who finds them. If you add the coins, be sure to warn those who eat the finished product, so that they can find them with their fork before they find them with their teeth.
Pour the entire mix into the stainless steel bowl (or pudding basin). Then cover the bowl with aluminum foil.
British bakers who are familiar with their type of double boilers should prepare that double boiler now to steam the pudding basin.
Non-British bakers should place the wrapped stainless steel bowl in the tamale steamer, then add enough water that it reaches about 8cm (3 inches) from the top of the wrapped stainless steel bowl, and finally close the lid of the steamer.
Steam the pudding for 7 hours. The amount of water I recommend in the tamale steamer should prevent it from boiling dry, but it is critical to check the water level frequently to ensure that it does not boil dry.
After 7 hours, remove the wrapped bowl from the steamer and place it in the refrigerator until 1 hour before it is to be eaten.
1 hour before eating, place the wrapped bowl back in the tamale steamer, and steam for 1 hour using the same water level as previously.
To serve: remove the foil from the bowl. Place a plate on top of the bowl, then flip the bowl and place upside-down so that the pudding ends up on the plate, facing upwards like a tiny volcano.
If you wish to fully embrace the British tradition, you may perform one or both of the following rituals:
1. Place a sprig of holly in the top of the pudding before placing it on the table.
2. Prepare a saucepan of flaming brandy, and pour that flaming brandy over the pudding, further adding to the volcano imagery.

Results

Christmas Pudding

It took three tries to get the classic appearance

The less-shapely version 1.0, with flaming brandy

Footnotes

1.	In the UK, the term "pudding" is used to refer to what Americans would term "dessert".
2.	Traditional Christmas pudding is made using suet, AKA "beef fat".
3.	American-style recipes are volumetric, whereas British recipes use mass instead. The main difference is that American-style recipes require an assortment of measuring cups, but British recipes only require a scale and a mixing bowl. The bowl is placed on the scale and the "tare" button is pressed to "zero" the scale. Whatever amount (by weight) of an ingredient is added, the scale is "zeroed" again, and the process is repeated for each ingredient. Cleanup is much simpler because no measuring cups are used.