This is not a recipe passed-down through my family or by an old friend – Italians don’t have a Christmas Pudding tradition as is very common in the UK, Australia and a few American households. I’ve had to do lots of research and testing to come up with my own pudding recipe . I’m not a big fan of raisins so I went with tart cranberries and tangy apricots as the dried fruit for this pudding – try it, or sub with your favorite dried fruit.
To suet or not to suet, that is the question.
Most traditional and older pudding recipes include suet – the fat from a specific part of the cow- lard just won’t do. I knew right away that I would not be making these puddings as suet is not available in Italy and I had no plans to go as far as making my own (though tutorials online abound if you’re interested).
No readily available suet is what kept t me from working on this recipe for years. Then, an Aussie reader posted a christmas pudding recipe she’d been cooking for 40 years in the forums and it didn’t call for suet. The clouds parted. I stopped the hand-wringing and set out to bringing you a pudding recipe without suet.
No-pressure pre-steaming – do it!
I’m not the first to pressure cook a pudding, British and Aussie cooks have been doing this for years but I was really confused about why their recipes directed the cook to steam the pudding without pressure before pressure cooking. On the surface it seemed like some medieval hold-over from before the dawn of baking powder – so I wasn’t convinced this was a necessary step. I put this curious bit of “cooking lore” to the test by cooking the same pudding in two batches. The first pudding was cooked with “no-pressure pre-steaming and pressure cooking” and the second was only pressure cooked. Everything looked the same – each pudding had grown to similar size – but the difference was on the inside. The pudding that was no-pressure pre-steamed had a more cake-like crumb. Where the inside of the just pressure cooked pudding was a little uneven and even a bit rubbery.
Yes: Pre-steam the pudding without pressure. Don’t worry, it won’t add disproportionate amounts of time to the recipe because once the steaming is up the cooker will come to pressure almost instantly.
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 L or larger | steamer basket, heat-proof bowl(s) | 15 & 30 min. | None & High(2) | Natural + 10min |
(per serving)
- Serves: 1 Pudding
- Serving size: 1/12th (one slice)
- Calories: 314.3
- TOTAL Fat: 15.7g
- TOTAL Carbs: 38.8g
- Sugar Carbs: 27.9g
- Sodium: 165.8mg
- Fiber Carbs: 1.7g
- Protein: 3.8g
- Cholesterol: 115.5mg
- ⅔ cup (100g) dried cranberries, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
- ⅔ cup dried (100g) apricots, chopped and soaked if they are not already soft
- ⅛ teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) raw (Demarara) sugar
- 3 tsp (11g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) cinnamon powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 15 tablespoons (1¾ sticks or 200g) un-salted butter, roughly chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons (50g) maple syrup
- 1 medium carrot, grated (about 100g)
- Put the dried cranberries and apricots, or dry fruit of your choice, in a small deep bowl and cover with boiling water. Then, tightly seal the top with plastic wrap and set aside - I used "soft" dried apricots that did no need to pre-soak. If your dried fruit is leathery and dry, definitely soak it.
- Prepare a pudding mould, or 5-cup capacity heat-proof bowl by adding a drop of olive oil, and then spreading it around with a paper towel until the inside of the bowl is well covered, and set aside. If the bowl does not have handles, construct a foil sling to lower and raise the pudding out of the pressure cooker.
- Prepare the pressure cooker base with two cups of cold water and the steamer basket or trivet.
- Into a food processor bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt . Pulse a few times to mix.
- Then, add the chopped butter and pulse a few more times until evenly distributed.
- Next, add the eggs and maple syrup, and pulse the processor a few times until well blended.
- Strain the dried fruit, and give it a quick rinse under cold water if it's still a little bit hot. Sprinkle the dried fruit and grated carrot on top of the mixture.
- Use a spatula to stab, zig-zag and otherwise mix the fruit through the mixture.
- Coax the pudding batter into the prepared bowl using the spatula. Lower the un-covered bowl onto the steamer basket and close the pressure cooker lid.
- Cover the pressure cooker with a normal lid, or plate - if you don't have one that fits your pressure cooker remove the pressure valve and gasket from the pressure cooker lid; or, set the valve to "release" or "no pressure".
- Electric pressure cookers: turn on the Brown/Saute setting and when steam starts sneak out of the pressure cooker (in about 10 minutes), start counting down 15 minutes of steam-without-pressure pre-cooking time.
Stove top pressure cookers: turn on the heat to the highest setting. When steam begins coming out of the valve (in about 10 minutes), lower the heat to medium and start counting down 15 minutes of steam-without-pressure pre-cooking time. - When time is up remove the lid tilting it to the side to guide the condensation under the lid away from the pudding. Add the pressure cooking lid, or put the valve and gasket back one - the lid will be hot so use oven mitts or tongs to do this.
- Close the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position.
- Electric pressure cookers: Cook for 35 minutes at high pressure.
Stove top pressure cookers: Lock the lid, and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure. - When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Natural release method - move the cooker off the burner and wait for the pressure to come down on its own (about 10 minutes). For electric pressure cookers, disengage the “keep warm” mode or unplug the cooker and open when the pressure indicator has gone down (about 20 minutes).
- Leave the pressure cooker closed for an additional 10 minutes after the pressure has released - this is important as a pudding that is too hot coming out of the cooker will turn hard and dry very quickly. If you intend to cool the pudding and serve it at another time, anyway, leave the pudding in the cooker for 20 minutes more after the natural release.
- Remember to tilt the pressure cooking lid when you remove it to prevent the condensation from dibbling back onto the pudding.
- Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the pudding - it should come out clean if the pudding is fully cooked.
- Lift the pudding out of the pressure cooker and cover tightly until ready to invert and serve.
- Serve with an optional dousing of fresh cream.
You can use any tried and true steamed pudding recipe in your pressure cooker following this technique, cooking times and opening method. If you make the puddings in ramekins, instead, steam-without-pressure for 10 minutes and pressure cook for 10 minutes, and then follow the pressure release instructions.
Ciao Laura, as suet is the fat surrounding the kidneys any good butcher in Italy should be able to get you some.
There is no comparison between a proper plum pudding made with suet and one made with vegetarian suet or butter- the butter one is good – but with real suet is delicious!
(PS considering that I am Italian sometimes I surprise myself for such a love for the really traditional fruit filled Christmas Pudding – I hated the raisins in the panettone as a child!!!)
I am the Australian who put forward the suet-less pudding recipe. I actually made this recipe with suet (as in the original recipe I was given) for the first 2 years I made it (suet from a butcher). However, being health conscious, with heart disease in my family, I decided to use good vegetable margarine from then onwards. I was/am still very happy with the texture and taste. My extended family years ago voted it the best Christmas pudding they had ever had.
Now that my husband has had 2 heart attacks despite having NO risk factors, I am even more conscious of not using ingredients that would be adverse to his health. I have not tried Laura’s recipe, though I probably will soon, as I often use dried cranberries in baking.
Welcome back, Aless, and thanks for giving me the confidence to go ahead and try. It’s great to hear about your results with vegetable margarine, too. Since publishing this recipe I’ve found loads, and loads of butter-based pudding recipes plus, I’ve gotten endless requests for a more “traditional” pudding.
My brit and Aussie readers are so kind about my coming up with my own pudding. When I came up with a new way to make Psole I was getting chased in the comments by pitch-forked-holding Mexican descendants for messing up their tradition. : /
Due to the very kind request for a traditional pudding recipe from readers I’ve been working on converting BBC Good Food’s Easy Christmas Pudding recipe to the pressure cooker this year. I first suspected, but am pretty sure now, that the much-loved British Christmas Pudding tradition is the source of the much-feared American Fruitcake. I don’t know what went wrong with this recipe on its way to the “new world” but it somehow became a fruit brick that can be stored for months, even years, before being consumed – or used as a doorstop.
Let’s see if we can change some preceptions with an easy “last-minute” traditional recipe that doesn’t have to age.
Ciao,
L
Thank you for this pudding recipe, it is the next recipe I will be making in my Instant Pot. Your website is the first one I go to looking for ideas for good recipes. Looking forward to more pudding recipes.
I’ve published a new pudding recipe! It’s a conversion from BBC’s Good Food Easy Pudding. You can find the recipe and video here:
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/easy-christmas-pudding/
Happy Holidays!
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura: just wondering if #15 and #16 can be clarified . #15 states to OPEN when the pressure indicator has gone down but #16 states to leave closed for an additional 10 minutes after pressure has released.
I realize that it has to stay closed an additional 10 minutes but it just seems a little confusing. Thanks for your help. Take care.
Mil
Merry Christmas, Mil! The cooker is opened with Natural Release plus 10 extra minutes (in the closed cooker with no pressure) after that.
Ciao,
L
Is looks terrific. I have a plum pudding mould that has a tightly fitting cover. Could I use that in the pressure cooker for the pre-cooking and pressure cooking?
Hi Laura, I found the answer in one of your previous posts!
Happy Holidays!
No. The pudding will build pressure too, and the tight-fitting cover has no way to vent it. A loose-fitting cover will slow down the pressure cooking time. Follow the instructions in the recipe, and pressure cook he pudding uncovered.
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura thanks for getting back to me. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your family. Thank you again for all the work you do on your site providing us with all your tried and tested recipes. It is greatly appreciated. Again all the best.
Mil
Hi Laura I made your Christmas pudding yesterday and my husband loved it. He really likes Christmas cake and this was a winner for him. Now I can make it anytime he facncies it. I also had some and it was delicious. Thanks again. Happy new year all the best.
Mil
This is very interesting, and it is the second recipe I’ve found that recommends using a pressure cooker for a steamed pudding. I’ve been making the traditional English suet Christmas puddings for many years now, but this was the first year that I decided to use the pressure cooker. It worked beautifully. Instead of steaming in a regular pot for six hours (and having to top up evaporated water), the pudding was done in one hour. I let the pot de-pressurize normally, and then I let the pudding sit in the pot for about 20 minutes before opening the lid to remove the pudding. I used a Lagostina 9-litre PC, and I also used a T-fal Calipso model another time for a pudding. Thanks for recommending using the pressure cooker for steamed puddings, and I hope others will try this.
I love the ingredients in this-maple syrup-mmmmm.
I would like to make it in 125ml jars; any tips?
I have found that answer .also can you still put brandy in .the pudding
Laura, I cannot figure out if I should use the pudding mold with the cover or not. I have that traditional pudding mold with the cover that twists on top with the ring to lift it. I now the cover is loose fitting, it doesn’t seal, but I am concerned it might build pressure inside. Please help!!!
Thank you for posting these steaming instructions I am going to use them to make Boston Brown bread which is steamed in a clean can. I can add to the discussion on fruitcake in North America. The quality of the candied fruit here cannot compare to Italy and the proportion of fruit to cake is very excessive. The cake becomes tasteless and too sweet. Commercial fruitcake cannot compare to homemade and all the hard liquor in the world will not help.