Mini Christmas Steamed Pudding
These mini Christmas puddings are perfect for the festive season - sweet, spice and all things nice! Packed with tender fruit and all the flavours of Christmas, these easy single-serve desserts give a modern twist on traditional pudding – and are made in a quarter of the time! Light and moist, try serving them with generous lashings of brandy custard, runny cream or even some salted caramel sauce for the ultimate holiday indulgence.
Servings: 8
Calories: 328kcal
Ingredients
- 400 grams mixed fruit approximately 2 cups, firmly packed sultanas, currants, raisins, mixed peel, glace cherries.
- ½ cup medjool dates about 9 dates, pitted.
- ¼ cup brandy or see notes below for alcohol free option
- ½ cup orange juice
- 150 grams butter (approx ⅔ US cup), softened at room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
To serve (optional)
- pouring or double cream
- vanilla ice cream
- custard vanilla or brandy flavoured
Instructions
- Place the mixed fruit, dates, brandy and orange juice into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 2 minutes, or until the fruit has softened.
- Place the fruit mixture into a bowl and cover. Set aside for 30-60 minutes to cool and for the fruit to soak in the flavours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (350 F). Grease 8 x ¾ cup capacity pudding moulds (or ramekins) and line the base with baking paper.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the mixed spice, orange zest, flour and baking powder and stir until combined.
- Add the mixed fruit mixture and stir until combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 8 pudding moulds. They should be about ¾ full. If you have lids, add the lids to the pudding moulds. Otherwise, tightly cover the puddings with foil and tie the foil to the mould firmly with string.
- Place the puddings into a large baking dish with sides. Carefully pour boiling water into the dish to surround the puddings. The water should go at least halfway up the pudding moulds.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the puddings are cooked through. You can test a pudding by carefully pressing the centre. If it feels firm and spongey (remove the foil from one pudding to test this, if necessary), the puddings are ready.
- Carefully remove the puddings from the moulds and serve hot with cream, custard or ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brandy – a small amount of brandy is used in this recipe. If you prefer to keep the pudding completely alcohol free, you can substitute for a little brandy essence and ¼ cup water. Or, skip the brandy flavour entirely and use a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam with ¼ water instead.
- Mixed fruit – you can buy packs of pre-mixed fruit from the dried fruit section in most supermarkets. I used Sunbeam mixed fruit which contains a mix of sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel and glace cherries. If you can’t find a pre-mixed version, you can make your own using the above fruits, or mix and match to add your favourites.
- Medjool dates are plumper and juicier than regular dates and can be found in most supermarkets, health food stores and grocers. I recommend using them where possible, but regular dates can also be substituted- they just need to be soaked in water for one hour before using.
- Storage – the puddings can be made up to 3 months in advance. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen and stored for up to 3 months.
- To freeze - allow the puddings to completely cool and then individually wrap them before adding them to the freezer in a good quality airtight container. To thaw, leave them in the fridge to de-frost overnight, or let them sit at room temperature for an hour.
- Re-heating – the puddings are best (and softest) served warm. Either straight from the oven or warmed in the microwave. Each individual pudding can be re-heated in a microwave for around 50 seconds, or until heated through.
- How to serve – for a classic Christmas dessert, try pouring a generous amount of brandy or vanilla custard over the top of each serving. They also taste amazing with double cream or vanilla ice cream. And I am even partial to adding a little homemade salted caramel sauce for extra indulgence!
- Pudding moulds/bowls produce the best results. They can come with lids, but if you don’t have lids, firmly cover them with aluminium foil and tie them tightly to prevent water from entering. If you don’t have moulds and still want to make this dessert, you can also use lightly greased ramekins which are tightly covered and tied with foil. Another option is to follow the steps provided in the recipe card, but bake them in muffin trays (180 C for around 15 minutes), rather than steaming. The result is slightly less soft and fluffy, but a good option if you are time poor or don’t have the required equipment.
Nutrition
Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 573IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg