Guest Recipe: Mez's Famous Christmas Pudding (gluten-free) (2024)

Skinnymixer’s Christmas Pudding is a very special recipe shared with our community by our wonderful Mez (Marianne).

Each year Mez makes an incredible number of her famous Christmas Puddings for friends & family – this is her treasured recipe, perfected over many years. The Skinnymixer’s team have been incredibly lucky to be enjoying the puddings for a number of years, but until now the recipe has always been top secret!

This year Mez is sharing her treasured Christmas Pudding recipe in honour of her best friend Sunny.

This is a free recipe – however we ask if you can donate to the special Memorial Tree Mez has created with the National Breast Cancer Foundation – to help with Breast Cancer Research in honour of Sunny.

We will let Mez share a little about Sunny xx

A little about my Sunny Bunny

Guest Recipe: Mez's Famous Christmas Pudding (gluten-free) (1)

My beautiful best friend had a name that was perfectly suited to her – Sunny!

When you were around her, she made you smile and laugh. If ever you were out with her, she was a social butterfly and made friends wherever she went, she had a way to make everyone feel special and important (I have so many stories).

Her giggle and her voice were infectious, she made everyone’s day so much brighter for just being herself. She was our Sunny, our ray of light in everyone’s day.

I miss her every single day!

Sunny was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in early 2020, she had a mastectomy and went through Chemo radiation and many tests. Towards the end she kept a lot to herself because for her she was protecting everyone else. I wish I could have supported her more but time, distance and borders were against us. Sunny lost the battle in August of 2021 leaving her two young children without their Mum and husband without his partner and best friend.

Christmas is a time we get to spend with our family and our loved ones and create memories.

I hope you enjoy my Christmas Pudding in honour of my friend Sunny and support the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Memory of my Sunny Bunny!

Love Mez xx

You can read more about the National Breast Cancer Foundation here. All donations are made directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation through the special memorial tree fundraising page – we hope you can help us honour Sunny.

How to make Mez’s Famous Christmas Puddings

To make this recipe you will need to allow 1-4 weeks for the dried fruit and alcohol to soak.

When it is time to cook the Christmas Puddings

You will need the following to cook the Christmas Pudding:

eggs
butter
almond meal or breadcrumbs
plain flour (gluten-free if required)
ground cinnamon
nutmeg
mixed spice
brown sugar or coconut sugar
bi-carb soda
salt

Demo of how to wrap the pudding

Gluten-free Christmas Pudding

For our celiac Skinnies we have some great news!

This Christmas Pudding recipe works perfectly with gluten-free flour and almond meal.

You will need to source dried fruit most likely from a health food shop, to avoid the ‘may contain traces’ warning.

To Make as Mini Puddings

Mez uses the Avanti Pudding Steamer Mini 250ml Pudding basins, available at most kitchen shops.

Skinnymixer's Christmas Pudding

5 from 4 votes

Equipment

1 2.2 L Pudding Basin or multiple 250ml avanti mini pudding basins
calico cloth
sealable container

Ingredients

Fruit Mixture

▢ 300 g sultanas
▢ 200 g raisins
▢ 200 g dried currants
▢ 150 g dried cranberries
▢ 150 g glace cherries - roughly chopped
▢ 250 g prunes - roughly chopped
▢ 250 g dates - roughly chopped
▢ 1 medium green apple - cored, peeled, grated
▢ zest of 1 lemon - finely grated
▢ 1-2 cup Brandy - or Whisky

Pudding

▢ 3 cup almond meal - or breadcrumbs
▢ 3 Tbsp plain flour - gluten-free if required
▢ 1 tsp mixed spice
▢ 1 tsp nutmeg powder
▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
▢ ¼ tsp bi-carb soda
▢ ¼ tsp salt
▢ 190 g butter - cubed
▢ ¾ cup brown sugar - or coconut sugar
▢ 3 eggs

Instructions

Preparing Fruit

In a large sealable container add all the dried fruit, grated apple, lemon zest and brandy stir to combine. Once combined, take the time to do a quick breast check x
Cover and stand for 1 week at minimum or up to 4 weeks ensuring you stir or turn the container each day. Store in a cool, dark place.

To Cook the Christmas Pudding

When your fruit mixture is ready - In a medium bowl combine the breadcrumbs, flour, mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, bi-carb and salt. Add fruit mixture and stir until combined.
Insert butterfly to mixer bowl. Set timer for 4 min/speed 3. Add butter cube by cube in the first minute.
When butter has finished whipping, scrape bowl down and add sugar and whisk for 30 sec/speed 3/MC on.
Set timer for 1 min/speed 3 and slowly add 1 egg at a time.
Add to fruit mixture, folding through until combined.
Grease a 2.2L pudding basin. Add mixture to the basin compacting mixture down especially around the top edges. Cover top with foil with edges overhanging, then add a very large square piece of calico, secure the rim of the basin with string tightly then lift the opposite corners up and tie them into a knot, do the same with the remaining corners (this allows you to easily lift the pudding out of the saucepan).
In a large saucepan add water that will only reach no further than just over halfway up the side of the pudding bowl when lowered into the pan. Bring the water to the boil and reduce to a simmer, lower the pudding in and place the lid on. Steam for a minimum of 4 hr checking frequently to see if the water needs to be topped up. If you don’t want such a large pudding you can use smaller basins or ramekins and adjust the steaming time accordingly. Mini puddings take approximately 45-60 min.
To serve, untie calico and remove foil and run a knife on the outside edge, put a board or plate on top and turn over, slice as needed. The pudding can be reheated in the microwave as needed.
Tip: Feel free to amend the dried fruit you add according to your preferred taste. You can also reduce the breadcrumbs or almond flour up to half and replace with mixed nuts of your choice ie chopped macadamias, pecans or pistachios.

Tried this recipe?Mention @skinnymixer or tag #skinnymixers!

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