Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding is a classic steamed festive dessert packed with raisins, sultanas, dried apricots, glacé cherries and candied peel, soaked in brandy and dark muscovado sugar. The Thermomix TM7 mixes the rich fruit batter evenly and steams the pudding gently for a moist, deeply flavourful result worthy of any Christmas table.
About this recipe
Christmas Pudding with the Thermomix TM7 is the ultimate festive dessert recipe for anyone who loves traditional British Christmas flavours. This all-in-one kitchen machine takes the effort out of preparing the dense, fruit-laden batter: raisins, sultanas, dried apricots and glacé cherries are combined with butter, dark muscovado sugar and fragrant lemon zest in seconds, while the machine steams the pudding gently so it turns out moist rather than dry. Searching for Christmas pudding recipes often brings up lengthy, labour-intensive methods, but with the TM7 the heavy mixing, zesting and steaming become simple and controlled. The brandy-soaked fruit develops a deep, warming sweetness, making this dessert the perfect centrepiece for Christmas dinner. Because a Christmas pudding actually improves when made ahead, this is also an ideal make-ahead festive project: prepare it weeks in advance, store it cool and re-steam on the day itself.
Preparation tips
- Soak the raisins, sultanas and dried apricots in brandy or fresh orange juice the night before so the dried fruit plumps up and the flavours deepen throughout the Christmas pudding batter.
- Steam the pudding in a well-sealed basin covered with baking paper and foil, ensuring the lid is tight so no condensation drips into the mixture and makes the pudding soggy.
- This pudding keeps beautifully for several weeks in a cool, dark place. Re-steam before serving and flame with warmed brandy at the table for a dramatic Christmas flourish, or serve simply with thick custard.
- If small children will be joining the Christmas table, replace the brandy with fresh apple or orange juice; the soaked fruit stays beautifully moist and the pudding remains entirely alcohol-free while keeping its rich festive character.
- Make miniature Christmas puddings in small pudding basins instead of one large one; they steam faster, look charming on individual plates and can be given as homemade edible Christmas gifts.
Recipe variations
- For an alcohol-free version, soak the raisins, sultanas and apricots in strong tea or orange juice instead of brandy; the Christmas pudding keeps its moist, fruity depth and suits children and non-drinkers alike.
- For a lighter festive twist, add a grated eating apple and a handful of fresh cranberries to the batter and reduce the muscovado sugar slightly; the cranberries bring a bright, tart contrast to the sweet glacé cherries.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Zesting the lemons with the TM7 grating function releases fresh citrus oils that lift the whole Christmas pudding batter in seconds. [Multi-Function]
- The Thermomix mixes the butter, muscovado sugar and eggs into a creamy base, evenly coating every raisin and sultana without manual effort. [Multi-Function]
- Steaming the Christmas pudding hands-free above gently simmering water gives the dense fruit batter a moist, tender crumb for hours unattended. [Hands-Free]
- Grinding fresh mixed spice in the TM7 delivers maximum aroma for the glacé cherries and candied peel, far more fragrant than pre-ground blends. [Multi-Function]
- Weighing the dried fruit, butter and sugar directly in the mixing bowl keeps the Christmas pudding ratios precise and saves dirtying separate scales. [Precision Control]
Ingredients
- lemons
- orange
- raisins
- sultanas
- dried apricots
- glacé cherries
- mixed candied peel
- brandy (optional)
- unsalted butter
- dark brown muscovado sugar