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Guinness Christmas pudding
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Guinness Christmas Pudding

This Guinness Christmas pudding is rich, sticky, dark & full of festive spices! The addition of Irish stout gives this pudding a hit of booze & a deep malty flavour.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British, English, Irish
Servings: 8 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • 3 Pint/1.75 Litre Pudding Basin
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Microplane/Grater
  • Food Processor
  • Large Saucepan
  • Lighter/Matches (For Flaming The Pudding)

Ingredients

Soaked Fruit

  • 150 g Raisins
  • 150 g Sultanas
  • 100 g Dried Figs (Chopped Into 1 cm Pieces)
  • 100 g Dried Prunes (Chopped Into 1 cm Pieces)
  • 100 g Glace Cherries (Cut Into Quarters)
  • 60 g Mixed Peel
  • 220 ml Guinness

Christmas Pudding

  • 140 g Plain Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • ¾ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp Ground Ginger
  • ¾ tsp Ground Allspice
  • ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
  • ¼ tsp Sea Salt
  • 140 g Wholemeal Bread - Blitzed Into Breadcrumbs (See Notes)
  • 135 g Dark Brown Sugar
  • 120 g Shredded Suet (See Notes)
  • 80 g Black Treacle
  • 2 Large Eggs (Lightly Beaten)
  • 1 Bramley Apple (Peeled & Grated)
  • 1 Lemon (Zested)
  • 1 Orange (Zested)

Feeding The Pudding

  • 2 tbsp Brandy (Optional)

To Flame The Pudding

  • 30 ml Brandy

Instructions

Soaking The Fruit

  • Add the raisins, sultanas, figs, prunes, cherries & mixed peel into a bowl then pour over the Guinness.
  • Give the fruit a stir, cover the bowl with clingfilm then leave to soak overnight.

Making The Pudding

  • Grease a 3 pint/1.75 litre pudding basin with butter then set aside.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder & spices into a large mixing bowl then add in the salt, breadcrumbs, sugar & suet. Mix to combine.
  • Next, add in the soaked fruit, black treacle, eggs, grated apple & zests then mix well, to combine.
    Make sure to add in all of the soaked fruits, including any Guinness!
  • Transfer the pudding batter into the greased basin then use a palette knife/spatula to spread level on top.
  • Lay a circle of baking parchment on top of the pudding then cover the top of the basin with a double layer of tin foil, making sure that it's water tight.
    If you like, you can tie a piece of string around the foil, to secure the foil & to make a handle (this makes it easier to lift the basin out of the water once the pudding is cooked).

Steaming The Pudding

  • Place the Christmas pudding into a large saucepan then fill it with enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin.
  • Cover the pan with a lid then set over a medium-low heat. Simmer gently for 6-8 hours, until pudding is cooked through. Make sure to top up the water regularly (check every hour or so), to keep it at the same level at all times.
    To check if the pudding is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, the pudding is ready. Christmas puddings need to be cooked gently, so make sure that the water is at a gentle simmer at all times.
  • Once your pudding is cooked, take the pan off the heat then let the pudding cool in the water for 30 minutes.
  • Carefully take the pudding out of the water, remove the foil then leave to cool completely.
    Dry the outside of the pudding basin with a tea towel once cool.
  • Once cool, replace the baking parchment with a fresh piece then wrap the entire pudding basin in clingfilm, so that it's airtight. Chill the pudding in the fridge & leave to mature for 4-6 weeks before serving.

Feeding The Pudding - Optional

  • For extra flavour, I'd recommend feeding the pudding with brandy every 2 weeks but this is optional. To feed your pudding, poke several holes in the top with a skewer then pour over a tablespoon of brandy.
    You'll only need to poke holes into your pudding on the first feed. Make sure to wrap your pudding back up with clingfilm after feeding.

Reheating

  • Before reheating your pudding, remove the clingfilm, replace the baking parchment with a fresh piece then cover the basin with foil (like when we steamed the pudding the first time).
  • Next, place the pudding into a large saucepan then fill with enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin.
  • Set the pan over a medium-low heat then simmer gently for 2-3 hours, until the pudding is hot.
    Make sure to keep an eye on the water level, topping it up when needed. To check if your pudding is done, insert a skewer into the centre. If the skewer feels hot when you touch it, it's ready!
  • Once your pudding is ready, remove the foil & baking parchment then place a plate on top & flip upside down, to turn out.

Flaming The Pudding

  • Place the brandy into a small saucepan then set over a medium heat. Once it's warm (this will only take a minute), tilt the pan to the side & set the brandy alight with a lighter/match. Carefully tip the alcohol over the Christmas pudding then serve once the flames go out.

Notes

1. Cooking In An Aga - To steam the pudding in an Aga, bring the water to a simmer on the simmering plate, simmer for 5 minutes then place the pan on the floor of the simmering oven. The pudding will take 6-8 hours to cook like this.
To reheat the pudding in an Aga, steam it the same way as the initial cook for 2-3 hours, until hot.
2. Guinness - I'd recommend letting the fruit soak in the Guinness overnight. When you make the pudding mix, make sure to add all of the fruit & any unsoaked Guinness. Other stouts will work as well.
3. Breadcrumbs - I like to use wholemeal bread for my breadcrumbs as it has a subtle nutty, malty flavour that works great in Christmas pudding. Feel free to use white bread if you'd prefer. If you do use wholemeal bread, make sure to use one without seeds/other mix ins.
4. Suet - Either shredded beef or vegetable suet will work for this Christmas pudding. This is available from most supermarkets. I used Atora suet.
5. Storage - Once cooked & cooled down, your Christmas pudding should be wrapped with clingfilm so that it's airtight then stored in the fridge (or in a larder/cellar if it's cold enough). Stored correctly, Christmas pudding will keep for over a year.
6. Feeding - Feeding the pudding with brandy is optional but does add more flavour. I matured my pudding for 6 weeks & fed it every 2 weeks. If you're planning to mature your pudding for longer, it won't need feeding as often.
7. Leftovers - After being steamed (for the final time), any leftover pudding can be reheated in a microwave. Check out our Christmas leftovers collection for different ways to use up leftovers!