Mary Berry’s Christmas pudding recipe is without a doubt, a festive classic. Loaded with booze soaked fruit, nuts and grated apple, it’s moist, rich and packed with flavour. Serve with brandy butter, cream or custard for a traditional British Christmas dessert.
Christmas pudding is a little bit like marmite. It’s something you either love or hate. I belong in the former group. I completely love it.
A dark, rich, sticky slice of Christmas pudding with a dollop of brandy butter melting on top is something I might only enjoy once a year, but I must have it on Christmas Day.
I have a recipe for a lighter Christmas pudding with stem ginger and glace cherries which I love, but this is a darker, more traditional recipe. It comes from Mary Berry and it turns out perfectly every time (but what would we expect coming from the baking Queen!) I also make Mary Berry’s mincemeat loaf cakes every Christmas. You can’t go wrong with Mary’s recipes.
what is stir up sunday?
Stir up Sunday is traditionally observed on the last Sunday before Advent, which of course falls on the last Sunday in November. It’s the day when families gather together to stir the Christmas pudding or Christmas cake mixture while making a wish.
Traditionally, the whole family should be in the kitchen while the pudding is prepared, each person taking a turn to give the mixture a stir. It goes in order of age, starting with the youngest family member.
Stir up Sunday is the day that many people choose to make their Christmas pudding, giving it plenty of time before Christmas Day to mature.
If Christmas is only a couple of weeks away and you haven’t made a Christmas pudding yet, it’s not too late. You still have time. Like homemade mincemeat, it’s better if you can make it a month or two in advance, but it will still be delicious, even if you make it on Christmas Eve!
ingredient and recipe notes
- I have followed Mary’s basic recipe but made a few small changes. Instead of brandy, I have used Pedro Ximenez sherry to soak the fruit. I’ve also used Marsala wine, whisky and even Tia Maria in the past – it’s all good!
- For a richer taste, I’ve added some treacle to the recipe. I use treacle in my fruit cake recipe, so I thought I couldn’t go wrong with using it in Christmas pudding. It’s a magical ingredient. If you can’t find treacle, you could use Molasses or honey.
- Mary’s original recipe doesn’t require you to soak the fruit, but whenever I make a recipe that calls for dried fruit, I like to give it an alcohol bath even for just a little while. Even an hour makes a small difference, but you can leave the fruit steeping in the alcohol for several days. I think my longest run so far has been two weeks!
- I’ve stuck to the traditional dried fruits used in a Christmas pudding – raisins, currants, sultanas and mixed peel. You can use any kind of dried fruit you like – for example, if you don’t like mixed peel you can swap it for dried cranberries, chopped apricots or candied ginger. Some people like to add chopped prunes or dried figs (as the famous song goes, “we all want some figgy pudding, so bring some right here!”
equipment needed to steam a Christmas pudding
- A deep steamer pan OR a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid
- A 2 pint plastic steamer bowl with a lid OR a pudding basin
- Baking paper, tin foil and string IF you’re using a traditional pudding basin without a lid
how to make mary Berry’s Christmas pudding
Scroll the the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions on how to make this recipe.
Step one – Place all of the dried fruit, the grated apple and the lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl. Pour over the sherry or brandy (or whatever alcohol you’re using). Cover the bowl and leave for a minimum of one hour.
Step two – Place the self raising flour, fresh breadcrumbs, suet or grated cold butter in a large mixing bowl. Briefly stir to combine.
Step three – Add the eggs, treacle and the dried fruit including any liquid at the bottom of the bowl to the flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon or your (obviously clean!) hands, stir everything together until you have a fruity batter.
Step five – Spoon the mixture into a 2 pint pudding basin. If you’re using an old fashioned pudding basin, you will need to cover it with a sheet of folded and pleated baking parchment and tin foil and tie with string to secure the sheets of paper and foil. This also protects the pudding while it steams. I’ve provided instructions on how to do this in the recipe card. If you have a lidded plastic pudding bowl, you don’t need to worry about this step!
I have a few of the plastic bowls and they’re so easy to use. Perfect for classic British puddings such as slow cooker golden syrup sponge pudding and slow cooker chocolate pudding.
Step six – Place the bowl into a steamer or large saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water comes halfway up the side of the bowl.
If you’re using a saucepan, place the pudding on a saucer to protect the bottom from the heat. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and steam the pudding on a low-ish heat for about 6-7 hours. You will need to keep checking the water level so the pan doesn’t boil dry.
By the time the pudding has cooked, your home will be filled with the smell of festive spice. You certainly won’t need any scented candles!
Step seven – Allow the Christmas pudding to cool completely in the pudding bowl. Once cold (which takes several hours) the pudding should be covered with a disc of baking paper and tin foil. Store in a cool, dark place until you are ready to eat it.
can I make Christmas pudding in a slow cooker?
Yes. I’ve made this Christmas pudding recipe in the slow cooker and it’s turned out perfectly. It’s certainly a great option if you would rather not steam up your kitchen windows!
To make a slow cooker Christmas pudding, make the recipe as directed, then place the pudding in a preheated slow cooker, pour in freshly boiled water from a kettle halfway up the pot, cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours.
reheating Christmas pudding
Christmas pudding can be reheated in the slow cooker or on the hob. To reheat using the slow cooker, Place the pudding in your slow cooker, cover with freshly boiled water from a kettle, set to HIGH and cook for 3 hours.
To steam the pudding on the hob, place it in a steamer basket or a large saucepan filled with simmering water and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours.
can i reheat Christmas pudding in the microwave?
Providing the pudding basin is microwave safe, then yes you can use the microwave to reheat your Christmas pudding. Cover the top of the pudding with a sheet of baking parchment (never tin foil in a microwave.) Microwave on full power for about 4 minutes, allow to stand for 2-3 minutes, then cook again for a further 3-4 minutes or until steaming hot.
serving
If you like, you can follow tradition and flame the Christmas pudding just before serving. Warm about 3 tablespoons of brandy in a small saucepan, pour over the pudding and set it alight. Let the flames subside and go out completely before serving the pudding with brandy butter, cream or custard.
When lighting the pudding, please keep children and pets well away!
more commonly asked questions
Providing it is well covered and stored in a cool, dark place, Christmas pudding can keep for around 1 hour. Some people store it for up to two years, but personally I wouldn’t go further than that. The alcohol and sugar acts as a natural preservative, giving the Christmas pudding a long shelf life.
If the Christmas pudding has any mould on the surface, it certainly means it has gone off and should be thrown away. This is caused by moisture getting into the pudding during storage or not allowing it to cool down completely before storing.
Yes – if you can’t get or don’t like suet, you can easily swap it for very cold grated butter.
Yes, if you like! Every week, poke holes in the pudding with a skewer and pour in a tablespoon of brandy or alcohol of your choice. The more you do this, the richer and more boozy your Christmas pudding will taste.
I hope you try and love this Mary Berry Christmas pudding recipe! Do let me know what you think if you make it.
Mary Berry's Christmas Pudding Recipe
A classic Christmas pudding recipe adapted from a recipe by the Queen of baking herself, Dame Mary Berry. A traditional Christmas pudding that's rich yet not too heavy and packed full of festive flavour.
Ingredients
- 250g raisins
- 125g currants
- 125g sultanas
- 60g chopped candied peel
- 80ml Pedro Ximenez sherry, Marsala or Brandy
- 25g blanched almonds, finely chopped
- finely grated zest and juice of one small lemon
- 125g grated apple (I use a Bramley apple)
- 90g self raising flour
- 125g fresh breadcrumbs
- 125g shredded suet or grated cold butter, plus extra for greasing
- 90g dark or light muscovado sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon treacle (optional)
- Extra sherry or brandy for feeding the pudding every week
Instructions
- Place the raisins, currants, sultanas, mixed peel, chopped almonds, grated apple and the lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl. Pour over the sherry or brandy. Leave to soak for a minimum of one hour (you can leave the fruit to soak for several days, if you wish).
- Place the self raising flour, fresh breadcrumbs, suet or grated butter, sugar and grated nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, treacle if using, and dried fruit, along with any liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir everything together until well combined. It will look like a fruit cake batter.
- Lightly butter a 2 pint pudding bowl and place a disc of baking paper in the base so the pudding will release easily from the bowl later.
- Spoon in the Christmas pudding mixture and level the surface
- Take a large piece of baking parchment and tin foil. Butter the baking parchment. Fold the paper and foil in half and make a pleat down the middle of each one. Cover the top of the bowl with the buttered and pleated baking paper and tin foil. Secure the paper and foil by tying string around the bowl, looping it to make a handle to lift the pudding out of the water later. If you're using a plastic pudding bowl with a lid, you don't need to worry about any of this!
- Place the bowl into a steamer or large saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water comes halfway up the side of the bowl. If you're using a saucepan, you'll need to place the pudding on a saucer to protect the bottom from the heat. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and steam the pudding on a low heat for about 6-7 hours. You will need to keep checking the water level so the pan doesn't boil dry.
Notes
To make this recipe in a slow cooker, make the pudding as directed, then place in a preheated slow cooker, pour in freshly boiled water from a kettle halfway up the pot, cover and cook on LOW for about 7 hours.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 459Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 342mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 4gSugar: 44gProtein: 7g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.