Quick Christmas Pudding - A 'lite' Version Of This Favourite

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 5 ounces self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 5 ounces self raising flour
• 2 ounces butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 3 fluid ounces black treacle
• 4 fluid ounces stout beer
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 441 g mincemeat
• 3 ounces cooking apples, bramley is ideal, cored, peeled and finely diced
• 4 ounces currants, soaked in tea (ideally over night or min 1 hour)
• 3 ounces dried cranberries
• 1 ounce hazelnuts, chopped and roasted
• 1 lemon, grated zest
• 1 orange, grated zest
• 2 tea bags
• 15 fluid ounces water, just boiled

Recipe

• 1 in a suitable bowl place the tea bags and pour on the boiled water, allow to brew for a couple of minutes, then add the dried fruit and cover. allow to soak for a minimum of an hour or preferably overnight.
• 2 drain the fruit well and pat dry gently with a kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.
• 3 sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl.
• 4 add the butter and eggs.
• 5 place the black treacle in a measuring jug, add the irish stout and dark rum. mix well and add to the egg butter and flour, (ensure that the black treacle is not left in the bottom of the jug).
• 6 mix well to ensure all the ingredients are well blended. an electric mixer can be used for this.
• 7 add the mincemeat, currants, cranberries, apple, hazelnuts, lemon & orange zest.
• 8 mix well together with a spoon.
• 9 don’t forget to let everyone have a gentle stir of the mix and make a wish.
• 10 divide into the greased individual pudding basins or a greased large pudding basin.
• 11 cover the pudding/s with a circle of buttered grease proof paper that is large enough to cover the top of the basin.
• 12 follow this with a square of aluminium foil with a pleat in the centre and seal well around the edge of the basin/s.
• 13 either place the basins into a shallow roasting dish and put into a preheated oven 180°c, 350°f, gas mark 4 and pour 1cm (1/2inch) boiling water into the roasting in and bake for 45 -50 minutes. allow to cool in the basins for 10 minutes, or place the individual basins into a steamer and steam for an hour.
• 14 if using a large pudding basin steam for 2 hours in a steamer in a saucepan on top of the stove. do not let the pan boil dry.
• 15 allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• 16 run a knife gentle around the edge of the basin and turn out onto a serving plate.
• 17 nb. if using a large pudding basin, turn the plate upside down and place on the top of the pudding basin and then invert both the basin and the plate at the same time.
• 18 the pudding can be flamed by warming the brandy first, lighting it and then pouring over the pudding. though for a longer flame vodka can be used!
• 19 serve with cream, brandy butter or brandy sauce.