Cranberry, maple & pecan pudding

Dairy-free, wheat-free and gluten-free – this Christmas pudding is moist and has a real zing. A less rich, more refreshing way to round off Christmas dinner

Prep:30 mins
Cook:3 hrs

Serves 8
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 550
fat 23g
saturates 3g
carbs 86g
sugars 24g
fibre 4g
protein 6g
salt 0.3g

Ingredients

100g each semi-dried prunes and dates, stoned and chopped
100g each raisins and sultanas
100g pack dried cranberries
170g gluten-free flour
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
100g pack pecans, roughly chopped
2 tsp mixed spice
grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
100g dark muscovado sugar
5 tbsp maple syrup
2 eggs, beaten
100ml sunflower oil
oil, for greasing
100g fresh cranberries
5 tbsp maple syrup

Tip

Getting ahead
This is less rich than many Christmas puddings and will dry out if over-cooked. You can make it up to two weeks in advance, then reheat it in the microwave on High for 2-3 mins. The topping can be made in advance and frozen, then defrosted and reheated to serve.

Method

Put all the ingredients for the pudding into a big bowl and stir together until well mixed. Don’t be put off by the consistency of the mixture – it is quite wet. Lightly oil a 1.5 litre pudding basin. Tip the mixture into this and press down. Make a cover for the pudding basin using a double layer each of oiled greaseproof paper and aluminium foil. Make a pleat in the middle of these sheets to allow for expansion of the pudding. Press it over the top of the pudding basin and secure it well with a double piece of string. Use a little extra string to make a handle for ease of lifting in and out of the boiling water.
Cook the pudding in a large pan with a well-fitting lid. There should be enough boiling water to come two-thirds up the sides of the basin at all times – so keep an eye on it. Cook the pudding for 3 hrs.
To make the topping, cook the cranberries in the maple syrup until they burst open and become syrupy. Once the pudding is cooked, remove the cover and carefully tip it onto a large serving plate. Spoon the hot cranberry and maple syrup over the top and serve straight away.