It's often steaming hot in Australia on Christmas day, but the traditional Boiled Christmas Pudding – served hot with custard – is still on plenty of Christmas dessert menus.
This Boiled Christmas Pudding recipe is one based on my Nana's and Great Grandmother's recipes, and it's on my Christmas must-do list every year.
Christmas Pudding: memories by the mouthful
The first mouthful of Christmas Pudding transports me straight back to my early Christmases, sitting around fold-up tables with my cousins at my Nan and Pop Mac's house.
The air-conditioner would be working hard and my mum and her four sisters would be working even harder to help Nan deliver a hot Christmas lunch with all the trimmings.
I have so many lovely memories of these magical Christmas days, and I can still see Nan pulling out the huge pudding wrapped in its cloth from the pot of boiling water.
I'm sure many of my cousins only ate the pudding to try and find one of the sixpences which had been pushed into the pudding (and would be swapped for a modern-day coin by Nan).
But I always savoured the pudding itself, served with a generous amount of custard.
Plum Pudding: a Christmas tradition
Christmas pudding, also known as plum pudding, is a Christmas tradition from the UK.
It apparently originated in the 14th century then fell out of favour before being brought back into vogue by King George in the early 1700s. Thanks, King George!
And thanks also to the ancestors who brought this tradition across about 17,000 kilometres to Australia, and then persisted with it despite it not really fitting with the local climate.
Christmas with Nana Ling
Just as I remember wonderful Christmas days with my Nan and Pop Mac, my mum remembers her early Christmases with Nana Ling (Nan Mac's mum). She recalls their hot Christmas lunch prepared in a wood fuel stove (sans air conditioning!).
She often talks about Nana Ling's Christmas cake decorated with tiny silver cachous, and the dusty floorboards of Nana Ling's house on a property near Maitland.
My Christmas pudding tradition
Just before Christmas in 2017, I pulled out Nana Ling's handwritten recipe books for the first time to have a go at cooking up one of the recipes.
I found this plum pudding recipe and uploaded it, along with my first successful attempt at cooking a plum pudding, to Instagram. It was then that the idea for this blog started to grow.
I'm so pleased that I'm cooking this pudding again this year and adding it to my growing collection of recipes on the blog.
The recipe: Boiled Christmas Pudding
This recipe is based on a recipe found in Nana Ling's handwritten recipe books and my Nan Mac's recipe.
The original Nana Ling recipe is pictured below, however keep scrolling to the end of the post for the tested, tweaked and updated recipe.
Nan's Pudding: the ingredients
To make this pudding, you'll need:
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- breadcrumbs (make it yourself by finely chopping day old bread)
- mixed peel
- currants
- sultanas
- raisins
- glace cherries
- slivered almonds
- plain flour
- salt
- bicarb soda
- mixed spice
- vanilla essence
- brandy.
The precise quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
While Christmas Pudding is also known as Plum Pudding, you might notice that there are no plums in this ingredient list.
Plum pudding does not actually contain any plum!
Instead, since Victorian times the dried plums have been replaced with raisins and other dried fruits.
Mixing up the Christmas Pudding
This is the easy part.
Simply beat the butter and sugar and then add eggs one at a time, continuing to beat after each addition.
You then add the sifted flour, salt, bicarb soda and mixed spice and beat on low speed until combined.
Next, add bread crumbs, dried fruit and almonds and stir with a spoon to combine. Finally, mix in the vanilla extract and brandy and stir again to combine.
Traditionally, everyone in the house should take turns stirring the pudding three times to make a wish!
Preparing the Pudding cloth
You can buy a pudding cloth from a store like Spotlight or simply buy some calico cloth.
Soak the cloth in boiling water and then wring out excess water. Use gloves or a clean tea towel wrapped around the pudding cloth to prevent the risk of burning your hands.
Spread out the pudding cloth on your kitchen bench.
When your pudding mixture is ready, sprinkle about ⅓ cup plain flour in a 30-40cm diameter circle in the middle of the cloth. Make sure the flour is most concentrated towards centre and lighter towards the outside of the circle, then rub the flour into the cloth.
Place the pudding mixture in the centre of the cloth and wrap the cloth around it while forming a round shape.
Secure the gathered edges as close to the pudding as possible with kitchen string. Secure well and make sure there's a loop so you can hand the pudding to dry out once it's cooked.
Boiling the pudding
You'll need a large boiler or saucepan to boil up the pudding.
Fill it ⅔ - ¾ with water. You want enough room for the pudding to be able to move around in the water as it's cooking.
Gently lower the pudding into the boiling water and boil for 3 ½ hours.
Make sure the water continues to boil and you keep it topped up with additional water if necessary. Boil a kettle and add boiling water rather than cold water from the tap to ensure a continuous boil.
Once it's cooked, hook the string from where you've secured the pudding cloth into a wooden spoon and gently lift from the boiling water.
Hold over a sink or somewhere that the pudding can drip a little. Within a minute or so you should see the pudding cloth drying in spots.
Hang the pudding somewhere safe and dry for one day.
After a day of drying out, take the pudding down.
Cut open the ties and take a look at the top of the pudding. You should see a skin has formed around the pudding. Scrape away any excess flour from the top of calico pudding cloth and tie to secure again.
Leave the pudding out (no need to hang again) in a dry place for a couple of days to dry out completely.
Store pudding in fridge (still in cloth) until ready to be re-heated.
Re-heating the pudding on Christmas Day
To re-heat your pudding, first take it out of the fridge and leave to stand for 6-12 hours.
Immerse the pudding in a pot of boiling water for one hour and then hang for half an hour before cutting away ties and gently unwrapping the pudding. Invert onto a serving plate and enjoy with custard.
When to make your Christmas Pudding
Traditionally, Christmas pudding is made five weeks before Christmas – that's on or after the last Sunday before the first Advent.
However, you can make it up to a few days before Christmas. Alternatively, make it up early and store it whole in the fridge for up to a couple of months in the fridge weeks or up to a year in the freezer.
Boiled Christmas Pudding
Ingredients
- 175 grams butter
- 175 grams brown sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 60 grams mixed peel
- 230 grams currants
- 230 grams sultanas
- 125 grams raisins
- 125 grams glace cherries
- 50 grams slivered almonds
- 125 grams plain flour
- ⅓ cup plain flour (extra for pudding cloth)
- pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 3 tablespoons brandy
Instructions
Pudding mixture
- Beat butter and sugar on med-high in a stand mixer for 5 minutes or until a pale colour.
- Beat eggs and then add to mixture one at a time, beating further after each addition.
- Add sifted flour, salt, bicarb soda and mixed spice. Beat on low speed until combined.
- Add bread crumbs, dried fruit and almonds and stir with a spoon to combine.
- Add vanilla and brandy and stir again to combine.
Boiling pudding
- Prepare a large boiler or saucepan by filling ⅔ - ¾ with water. You want enough room for the pudding to be able to move around in the water as it's cooking. Put on the stove and bring water to boil.
- Soak a clean calico pudding cloth in another bowl of boiling water from the kettle for 5 minutes.
- Wring out excess water (you may need gloves or use a clean tea towel wrapped around the pudding cloth) and spread out pudding cloth on kitchen bench.
- Use about ⅓ cup plain flour and sprinkle in a 30-40cm diameter circle. Make sure flour is most concentrated towards centre and lighter towards the outside of the circle. Rub flour into the cloth.
- Pour pudding mixture onto centre of cloth. Pull the edges up and work into a nice round shape. Make sure there is no gap at the top where you've gathered the edges together.
- Secure the gathered edges as close to the pudding as possible with kitchen string. Secure well and make sure there's a loop so you can hand the pudding to dry out once it's cooked.
- Place pudding in boiling water and boil for 3 ½ hours. Make sure the water continues to boil and you keep it topped up with additional water if necessary. (Boil a kettle and add boiling water rather than cold water from the tap to ensure a continuous boil.)
- Once cooked, hook string from where you've secured the pudding cloth into a wooden spoon and gently lift from the boiling water.
- Hold over the sink or somewhere that the pudding can drip a little. Within a minute or so you should see the pudding cloth drying in spots.
- Hang the pudding somewhere safe and dry for one day to cool and dry out.
- After a day of drying out, take the pudding down. Cut open the ties and take a look at the top of the pudding. You should see a skin has formed around the pudding. Scrape away any excess flour from the top of calico pudding cloth and tie to secure again.
- Leave the pudding out (no need to hang again) in a dry place for a couple of days to dry out completely.
- Store pudding in fridge (still in cloth) until ready to be re-heated.
- To re-heat, take out of fridge and leave to stand for 6-12 hours. Immerse in a pot of boiling water for 1 hour and then hang for half an hour before cutting away ties and gently unwrapping the pudding. Invert onto a serving plate and enjoy with custard.
Margaret
I'm in tropical North Queensland and usually make the pudding in November. After I hang the cooked pudding for a couple of days I wrap it in several plastic shopping bags (still in the cloth) and place it in the freezer.
A few days before Christmas I hang the pudding up to thaw. It is boiled again for a few hours and removed with tongs into a colander with a plate underneath (to catch the drips). Using tongs & sharp scissors I cut the string & open the cloth while it is still boiling hot and wet. (If the cloth dries on the cloth, it will stick.)
Gently pull back the cloth then put the serving plate over the top of the colander. While hanging on to the sides of the serving plate & colander, flip it over so the pudding slides onto the plate. Remove colander and gently pull back the remainder of the cloth and clean up the serving plate. This can be done before you sit down to dinner.
A crust will form as the outside cools. CAREFULLY warm some brandy, pour it over the pudding & light
Libby Hakim
Wonderful tips - thank you so much, Margaret! 🙂
Maggie
Hello Libby, writing to you from the Destin Beach/Niceville (Emerald Coast) area, located in the Gulf Coast of Florida (USA). I’m going to, for the first time, make from scratch Christmas pudding. FYI, I’m not a dessert maker! I read over your recipe with my husband, who’s from South England. He says it sounds like his Nan’s CP recipe.
Yours recipe doesn’t mention anything about continuously stirring/feeding (drizzling) in Alcohol into the batter/mixture until you’re ready to steaming.
Would you please explain the continuously soaking with alcohol process to me? I’m guessing you keep it in the refrigerator? But wouldn’t the eggs make pudding go bad? Again, I don’t bake desserts!! And I actually grow grew up on my families farm in North Carolina. And I’ve Only had Christmas pudding, one time, purchased from my bakery.
Thank you, Maggie
PS Husband says I need to start Making Christmas pudding at least 8 weeks before Christmas
Libby Hakim
Hi Maggie from the USA. I hope you're safe and well over there in Florida. We've been watching the storm from afar and it looks terrifying. The alcohol process ("feeding" with alcohol) is done with the Christmas Cake but I've not done this with pudding and I don't recall my nan doing it. Also, this pudding is boiled rather than steamed. Traditionally, Christmas pudding is made five weeks before Christmas – that's on or after the last Sunday before the first Advent. My nan made it about that far in advance. You then let it dry out for a couple of days. If you were in Englad where it is cold, you could probably leave it out until Christmas, however with the heat and humidity in Australia most people store it in the fridge until Christmas. You then boil again to re-heat. Happy cooking!
Barbara
Make puddings every Christmas using Nana Lings recipe. Best I have ever tasted especially with a nip of black spice rum as well as the brandy. So much like Granny BUTLERS we had every year as long as I can remember, when I was a kid. I am 75 years old.
Libby Hakim
Hi Barbara! Nothing like pudding at Christmas - enjoy! And thanks for the tip 🙂
Kitty
this is the first time I've made this and it's delicious. I'm in the United States so it's not super common and I didn't know what to expect. it got a hit stuck to the cloth so it doesn't look too nice, but it tastes really good and the instructions were clear even for someone who didn't know how it was supposed to go
Libby Hakim
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Kitty, and enjoyed the pudding! It's very easily stuck to the cloth, which can be a pain but the flavour is still there.
Carolyn
Help! You are the closest thing I can find to my English nana - I wish she was still around to show me how to do this! The skin didn’t form on my pudding! How do I know if the pudding is okay? I’m worried that it will be waterlogged! When I took the cloth off the skin had stuck to it, so I removed the cloth entirely and I’ve decided to wrap in cling film and freeze them until Christmas. Do you think it will be worth boiling again to serve on Christmas Day, or is it not worth the effort?
Libby Hakim
Hi Carolyn. It should be fine - happened to me once, too. Still tasted the same even if it didn't look so great. The skin is tricky, you've got to get the temperature just right and peel the cloth off carefully. My skin is never perfect like my Nan's is in my memories. Instead of boiling again, I'd just slice pieces cold and re-heat in the microwave. May get messy if you try to re-boil. Merry Christmas.
Carolyn
@Libby Hakim, Thank you so much! Have a wonderful Christmas!!
Teri
The Soldiers Cake and Christmas Pudding share parts of my late mother in law's recipe for her Christmas carrot pudding. Hers was made with kidney suit/ tripe, raisins,walnuts, carrots,dark molases flour etc.. She boiled the pudding in small greased and flowered coffee cans. served with hard sauce (butter,powdered sugar and vanilla) and a warm sauce of sugar,cream of tarter & rum). I lost all the family recipes in the camp fire that decimated our town in 2018. Does anyone recognize this recipe? Or anything close?
Lyn
Hi would this recipe be all right to make into small puddings as we have got friends where there is only the two of them. How long would you cook them for if we can.
Libby Hakim
Hi Lyn. Absolutely - considering doing the same thing myself this year. I'd boil for about 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 hours if you halve the mix. Enjoy!
Marie-Thérèse
Bless you ! I had lost the recipe given me by an elderly, now deceased, Scottish friend, of "Crofter's plum pudding" which they used to boil in huge vessels and send to their hubbies fighting on the continent.
It is much simpler, less rich, less fruit only raisins, with flour, sugar, veal kidney fat, beer -ideally stout but our French palates much prefer ale- and baking soda. As far as I remember no eggs or just a couple but not even sure there were any. And it was absolutely scrumptious and thanks to you I might be able to make that pudding again.
Libby Hakim
I will keep an eye out for that version of plum pudding. Nana Ling loved her Scottish recipes. I do have this recipe for Soldier's cake, too: https://www.cookingwithnanaling.com/soldiers-cake/
Jan
Our Christmas tradition was my parents arguing what we children were allowed on our pudding. My mother's childhood rule was that they could have cream, custard OR icecream, while Dad had grown up with 'cream, custard AND icecream', which we naturally all preferred! Mum, I think, thought 'the lot' was actually sinful and would lead us to hell, so the arguement went on.