Ginger pudding recipe

Our ginger pudding is a take on a classic Christmas pudding that has a kick of ginger as well as a good dose of brandy. Our version uses vegetable suet instead of regular suet, which makes it suitable for vegetarians. This ginger pudding recipe makes 2 puddings, each serving 8.

Ingredients

• 500g mixed dried fruit
• 250g dates, chopped
• 60g dried sour cherries
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 eating apple, grated
• 100g carrots, grated
• 2tbsp maple syrup
• 2tbsp black treacle
• 125ml ginger wine
• 125ml brandy
• 125g self-raising flour
• 2tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp each ground mixed spice and ground cinnamon
• 125g ground almonds
• 200g packet vegetable suet
• 175g breadcrumbs
• 125g dark muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 10 pieces of stem ginger, drained from syrup
• 2tbsp brandy

You will need:

• edible glitter
• 2 x 1ltr pudding basins, greased and base-lined

Method

1. Put the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, pour in the ginger wine and brandy and stir to combine.
2. Sieve the flour into a bowl with the spices. Add the ground almonds, suet, breadcrumbs and muscovado sugar.
3. Stir the eggs into the fruit mixture, then mix in the dry ingredients.
4. Arrange 4 sliced pieces of stem ginger in the base of each pudding basin. Divide the pudding mixture between the 2 basins.
5. Cover the bowl with a double thickness of baking parchment with a pleat in it and foil and tie string around the rim to secure. Bring water to the boil in the base of a steamer and then place the pudding over it. Cover the steamer and steam the pudding for 5 hours, topping up with water regularly to make sure that the water doesn’t boil dry. Alternatively, cook on an upturned saucer in a large pan with a lid, surrounded by boiling water.
6. Remove the pudding from the steamer and leave it to cool. Overwrap the pudding with fresh foil and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months.
7. On Christmas Day, steam the ginger pudding for 2 hours. Upturn and top with some halved stem ginger. Drizzle with ginger syrup and sprinkle with edible gold glitter.
8. Warm the brandy in a ladle over a gas flame, then pour over the pudding and light with a long taper, to serve flaming.