Christmas Pudding (British Steamed — Full Method)

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 225g dark muscovado sugar, Barbados grade
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 60ml dark rum, aged Jamaica pot-still
• 60ml brandy, VSOP Cognac minimum
• 150g dried currants, Corinth, premium
• 150g sultanas, Turkish dried white grapes
• 150g raisins, California dark
• 100g candied peel, Seville orange
• 50g glacé cherries, quartered
• 50g blanched almonds, chopped
• 225g plain flour, strong bread flour
• 5g ground cinnamon, Ceylon, freshly ground
• 2g ground nutmeg, Banda Islands, freshly grated
• 1g ground clove, Zanzibar, whole then ground
• 3g baking powder
• 2g sea salt
• 30ml molasses, blackstrap
• 15g black treacle

Method

1. 1
   Cream softened butter with dark muscovado sugar until pale and fluffy (5 minutes); beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating fully between each addition.
2. 2
   Soak currants, sultanas, raisins, candied peel, and cherries in rum and brandy for 20 minutes; add chopped almonds and stir into creamed mixture with molasses and treacle.
3. 3
   Sift flour with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking powder, and salt; fold gently into fruit mixture in three additions, combining until no dry flour remains.
4. 4
   Transfer batter into buttered 1-litre pudding basin; cover with baking parchment and foil, securing with string underneath rim.
5. 5
   Steam in boiling water bath for 8 hours, maintaining water level at two-thirds of basin height throughout; top up every 90 minutes with boiling water.
6. 6
   Remove from steamer and cool 15 minutes; turn out onto wire rack and cool completely before wrapping in fresh parchment and foil for aging (ideally 4 weeks before serving).
7. 7
   On serving day, re-steam covered basin for 1.5 hours to reheat.
8. 8
   Invert warm pudding onto serving plate; serve with hard sauce (butter creamed with icing sugar and rum) or traditional brandy butter.