Slow cooker Christmas pudding with amaretto
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Slow cooker Christmas pudding with amaretto
Recipe by Lucy Jessop
Sweet red fruits and a splash of amaretto give this pudding an Italian spin. Soak the fruit the day before – and make sure your pudding basin fits your slow cooker!
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
480Kcal
Fat
17gr
Saturates
7gr
Carbs
67gr
Sugars
42gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
0.3gr
Lucy Jessop
Lucy, our former Food Editor creates lots of delicious meals each month. Her recipes are always packed with flavour and they're super easy too!
See more of Lucy Jessop’s recipes
Lucy Jessop
Lucy, our former Food Editor creates lots of delicious meals each month. Her recipes are always packed with flavour and they're super easy too!
See more of Lucy Jessop’s recipes
Ingredients
- 200g dried mixed fruit
- 1 x 100g bag berries and cherries (or use 50g dried cherries, 25g dried cranberries and 25g dried blueberries)
- 100g natural glacé cherries, quartered
- zest and juice of 1 medium orange
- 50ml amaretto
- 50ml brandy
- 100g dark muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- a generous grating of fresh nutmeg
- soft butter, to grease
- 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 medium Bramley apple, about 225g, cored and grated
- 100g vegetarian suet
- 50g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
- 85g self-raising flour
- 65g fresh white breadcrumbs
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the pudding up to the end of step 5 up to 3 months ahead. Store in a cool dry place then reheat as per step 6.
- Put all of the dried fruit, glacé cherries, orange zest and juice, amaretto and brandy, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Mix well to combine, cover and set aside overnight or up to a couple of days ahead.
- When ready to cook, grease a 1-litre ceramic pudding basin (or Pyrex bowl) with a little butter and line the base with a circle of baking paper. Cut a square of baking paper, about 30cm, and cut the same sized piece of foil. Place the foil shiny-side down on a clean surface and lay the baking paper on top. Grease the baking paper well with butter, then, keeping both together, fold a 3cm pleat into the middle. This allows for expansion during cooking. Switch the slow cooker on to low.
- Add the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt to the soaked fruit and mix thoroughly to combine. Scrape the mixture into the prepared basin and level.
- Cover the pudding with the foil and baking paper, buttered-side down, and press around the edges to enclose, while maintaining the pleat. Then secure tightly around the rim with a piece of string – tie twice around the rim of the bowl to make it secure. Trim off the surplus foil and paper, and add a string handle for easy lifting, if your pudding basin has a ridged lip.
- Sit the basin inside the slow cooker. Boil the kettle and pour water around the pudding until it comes halfway up. Place the slow-cooker lid on top; it needs to be fully closed, with no gaps. Cook for 10 hours. Remove from the slow cooker and leave to cool completely. Then remove the paper and foil and replace with fresh wrappings, as before, ready for when you want to re-steam and serve. Store in a cool dark place, or the fridge.
- On the day you want to serve the pudding, cook in the slow cooker as before, but for 4 hours on the low setting, until piping hot.
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We like to serve this with whipped cream spiked with a few tablespoons of amaretto, to taste.TipNo slow cooker? Steam the pudding for 4 hrs in step 5 to cook it. To reheat, steam for 1 1⁄2 hrs in step 6.
