▷ How to make the best-ever Christmas pudding

How to make the best-ever Christmas pudding

Whip up the perfect centrepiece to your festive feast with our traditional Christmas Pudding (RECIPE BELOW). It’s fruity, rich and deliciously moist.

Get at least one brand new video every week, including recipes, kitchen hacks and handy cooking tips to help you feed your family and friends: https://goo.gl/msa4kR

Christmas Pudding

Serves 16 Prep 40 mins (+ 10 mins standing & overnight soaking time) Cooking 6 hours 5 mins

800g mixed dried fruit
½ cup (70g) slivered almonds
1 tbs finely grated orange rind
½ cup (125ml) orange juice
½ cup (125ml) orange-flavoured liqueur or orange juice, extra
250g butter, softened
¾ cup (165g) dark brown sugar
2 tsp mixed spice
4 Coles Brand Australian Free Range Eggs
3 cups (210g) fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
½ cup (75g) plain flour
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve
Candied orange (optional), to serve

Orange butter
125g unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (165g) brown sugar
¼ cup (60ml) orange-flavoured liqueur or orange juice
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
½ tsp mixed spice

1 Place mixed fruit, almonds and orange rind in a large bowl. Bring orange juice and liqueur to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Pour over mixture. Cover and place in the fridge overnight to soak.
2 Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and mixed spice in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add to the fruit mixture and combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs and flour.
3 Grease a 2L (8 cup) pudding basin. Line base with a disc of baking paper. Dust sides with flour. Spoon in mixture. Smooth the surface. Cut a 30cm square of baking paper and foil. Place paper on top of foil. Fold the centre to pleat. Place over basin, foil-side up. Use a lid or tie string twice around the top to secure. Scrunch paper and foil tightly around the rim of the basin.
4 Place an upturned heatproof saucer in the base of a large saucepan. Place the pudding basin on saucer in the pan. Add enough boiling water to the pan to come halfway up side of the basin. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, covered, adding more boiling water as necessary, for 6 hours or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Set aside for 10 mins before turning on a serving plate.
5 To make orange butter, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add liqueur or orange juice, orange rind and mixed spice and beat until well combined.
6 Serve pudding with ice-cream, orange butter and candied orange, if desired.

Candied orange
Thinly slice 1 orange and zest 1 extra orange. Stir ½ cup (110g) caster sugar and ½ cup (125ml) water in a saucepan over low heat for 2 mins or until sugar dissolves. Add sliced orange and cook, turning occasionally, for 5-8 mins or until rind softens and becomes translucent. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add orange zest to saucepan and cook for a further 1-2 mins or until softened. Use forks to transfer to the tray. Set aside to cool.

Want more Christmas baking? Check out ‘Our most beautiful Christmas baking recipes’ playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8rYS6B-sVuKBSWpKHHWzZF3ot0RPZUJ8, which includes:

How to make Christmas fruitcake: