Last minute Christmas pudding

If you forgot to make the Christmas pudding, there’s no need to worry. This Cheat’s Microwave Christmas Pudding will save the day.

No! It’s not too late. Traditional Christmas puddings are made at least 5 weeks before Christmas to develop the rich, deep flavours, and they take hours and hours of soaking and boiling to prepare. With this recipe, you can make delicious Christmas pudding as late as Christmas Eve, or even Christmas day, though we don’t necessarily recommend that!

 

This pudding recipe still has the traditional intense Christmas flavours in a just fraction of the time. It takes only about an hour an a half to whip this up in the microwave, compared to the hours of boiling that other puddings can take to make.

 

 

Choose a microwave safe bowl that’s large enough for the pudding mixture to expand as it cooks. Ceramic or heatproof bowls such as Pyrex are best, but microwave safe plastic bowls will also work.

 

Grease the bowl and line with a circle of baking paper to ensure that the pudding can easily be removed. Spoon batter into bowl and smooth out the top. Cut two circles to fit the diameter of the bowl. Place these onto the pudding mixture. This helps to contain the moisture and stop the top drying out.

 

Elevate your pudding by placing it onto a rack. Don’t skip this step! It’s very important to raise the pudding from the turntable to get even cooking across the sides, bottom and top. Many microwaves will supply small racks to place onto the turntable. If you don’t have one, use a small upturned saucer or side plate to raise your pudding instead.

 

Cooking at a lower power level is important to make sure the high fat and sugar mixture doesn’t burn. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to reduce the power level to 40% or 50% (400-500 watts), either will be fine. Every microwave will differ in wattage and size and this greatly affects the cooking times.

 

At the end of the cooking time, the centre 8cm of the pudding will look under cooked. Do not despair! This is normal. Keep the base covered with the baking paper and leave it to stand for 15-20 minutes. The residual heat will continue to cook the pudding. If the centre is still too soft after resting, you can cook the pudding more in 5 minute intervals.

The traditional Christmas flavours include a combination of heady spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves combined with spicy notes from citrus and dried fruit. Brandy, other fortified wines or even deep rich Guinness beer are important to enhance these flavours and also provide a degree of moisture and preservation.

 

However, if alcohol is not suitable, substitute with another liquid in the recipe, such as orange juice. You can also add a teaspoon of an essence such as brandy essence to impart similar flavours without the alcohol content.

Reheat pudding by removing from bowl and place onto a microwave safe plate. Reduce power level to 50% (500 watts) and heat for 10-15 minutes. Check how hot it is by pushing a metal skewer or knife into the centre, when you touch the tip it should be hot. Or use a cooking thermometer, the pudding should reach 70°C in the centre.

While you’re waiting for it to heat up, it’s the perfect time to whip up some brandy cream or custard.

Cool pudding completely. Wrap the whole pudding and bowl together in cling film or remove from pudding bowl and wrap pudding separately. In Australia during summer, refrigerate the pudding. If you're making it during the winter months, it can be put in a sealed container in a cool, dark pantry.

If stored correctly, this Christmas pudding can be made 1-2 months ahead. Always check that the wrapping and container are still intact and have not come away. If the cake is exposed to air it can become mouldy or dry out. If storing the pudding in a pantry, check the seal of the container intermittently and look for any growth of mould.

 

 

Need more Christmas ideas? Check out some more recipes below. If you need something fast, try the shortbread, or if you have more time why not make some mini fruit tarts.