Festive date and pecan pudding
Festive date & pecan pudding
Not your traditional Christmas pud, but a winner with our food team. A cross between sticky toffee and Christmas pud with a lighter feel
- Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 1 hrs 25 mins - Serves 8
- Easy
Ingredients
- 250g block dried, stoned dates, chopped
- 125g butter, at room temperature
- 85g light muscovado sugar
- 140g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 2 large eggs
- 50g raisins
- 50g chopped candied peel
- 85g pecans, chopped
- 2 pieces stem ginger, cut into thin shreds
- 85g light muscovado sugar
- 150ml brandy
- 25g toasted pecans, chopped
- 1 holly sprig
- icing sugar, for dusting
Get ahead
The pud will keep in the fridge for 4 days or will
freeze for 2 months. To reheat the pudding, cover
the basin with cling film, pierce the film a few times,
then reheat in the microwave for 5 mins on High.
Or, cover the basin with foil and just leave it in the
turned-off oven after the turkey has come out.
I find the residual heat will warm it perfectly as
you eat the main course – you want it warm
rather than piping hot.
Method
-
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour 300ml boiling water over the chopped dates and set aside. Butter a 1.4-litre pudding basin and put a disc of baking parchment in the base. Put the butter, sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and eggs into a large bowl, then beat with an electric hand whisk until really well blended. Add the cooled date mixture, then beat again to make a sloppy batter.
-
Stir in the fruits, nuts and ginger, then pour into the pudding basin and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 1 hr, cover the top lightly with foil, then return to the oven for 25 mins more until a skewer inserted into the pudding comes out clean.
-
Meanwhile, make the brandy syrup. Put the sugar and 50ml water in a pan and stir over the heat until syrupy. Stir in the brandy and remove from the heat. When the pudding is ready, remove from the oven and push a skewer into it in several places. Pour over the brandy syrup so it soaks into the pudding, then cover until ready to serve.
-
Turn out onto a plate, scatter with the pecans and top with the holly sprig, dusted with icing sugar. Serve with good-quality vanilla ice cream.
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