Orange Christmas pudding recipe

Orange adds a wonderful citrusy note to this orange Christmas pudding. Brimful of blanched almonds, chopped prunes, and mixed dried fruit.

This orange Christmas pudding recipe makes two gluten-free puds, each of which serves eight. We recommend keeping one for Christmas day and giving one to a friend or neighbour. Stir-Up Sunday (last Sunday in November) is the perfect time to prepare this pudding, but it can be made up to three months in advance and wrapped tightly in the fridge. This pud is flavoured with both sherry and whiskey for a rich boozy taste.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oranges
• 90g carrot, grated
• 150g gluten-free bread
• 60g gluten-free self-raising flour
• 175g dark muscovado sugar
• 1tbsp mixed spice
• 500g dried mixed fruit
• 250g ready-to-eat prunes, chopped
• 150g chilled butter, grated
• 60g blanched almonds, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 150ml cider
• 5tbsp whisky
• 3tbsp sherry

You will need

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

Method

1. Put the whole orange in a pan of cold water, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 40 mins until very soft. Drain and allow to cool for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, break the gluten-free bread into a processor and blitz to turn into breadcrumbs then tip the crumbs into a large bowl.
3. Quarter the softened orange, remove any seeds and blitz in a processor to finely chop. Tip into the bowl with the breadcrumbs.
4. Add the gluten-free flour, sugar, mixed spice, dried mixed fruit, prunes, butter and chopped almonds.
5. Combine the eggs in a jug with the whisky and sherry and mix together with a fork. Pour into the bowl and mix everything together.
6. Slice the remaining half an orange and arrange slices at the base of each pudding basin. Divide the mixture between the basins and smooth over. Cover with a double sheet of pleated baking paper and foil and secure with string.
7. Cook in a steamer for six hours, checking and topping up with boiling water every 30 mins or as needed.

Top tips for making this orange Christmas pudding...

You could also use two large lemons in place of the oranges.

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