Okay it may not even be December yet, but the days are getting darker, the clouds are getting greyer, and against the miserable backdrop there is that extraordinary feeling of festivity in the air.
You might have thought of knocking together a few recipes come Christmas Eve, but everyone knows that’s just asking for a whole host of unnecessary stress come the Big Day.
So save yourself the hassle and try out this delicious Fig Pudding recipe, straight from the “star bakers” here in our office (yes we are still into the Great British Bake Off like it’s still Summer).
This clever take on a traditional Christmas Pudding uses no butter and more lovely sticky fruits than any shop-bought variety – give it a go this Christmas.
Ingredients
- 200g figs, chopped
- 200g dates, chopped
- 100g prunes or apricots, chopped
- 100ml brandy
- 100g dark muscovado sugar
- 50g self-raising wholemeal flour
- 200g breadcrumbs (the crunchy kind)
- 2 free range eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- Line a large pudding bowl with parchment paper and boil up some water in preparation.
- In a saucepan, mix the dried fruits with the brandy and leave to soak over a low heat for around 10 minutes so that the alcohol infuses into the fruit.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – so that’s the flour, sugar, breadcrumbs, spice, orange zest and cinnamon.
- Then add in the wet ingredients – the beaten eggs and orange juice – whipping well so that the flour is combined evenly.
- Mix everything together and pour the complete mixture into the prepared pudding bowl, careful not to fill too close to the brim, and cover with tight foil.
- In a separate saucepan, add the boiling water and plonk the pudding bowl in so that it covers at least two thirds of it. If you’re worried about how to get it out without burning yourself, opt for a smaller saucepan of boiling water that allows the pudding bowl to rest within it
- Bring to the boil, then allow to simmer for 4 hours. This may seem like a long time, but all you have to do in the meantime is top up the water every hour or so.
- Remove from the pan when cooked, turn out, leave to cool, and serve immediately.