My Christmas Kitchen Secret
I want to share my favorite holiday secret. It is a Spiced Orange Mascarpone Plum Pudding. Now, do not let the name scare you. It is just a very fancy, very happy fruit cake. It steams for hours, filling your whole house with the smell of Christmas. Doesn’t that smell amazing?
This pudding is my tradition. I make it every year on the first Sunday of December. I stir the batter and think of all my past Christmases. The recipe asks for patience. You must let the pudding rest for days. This waiting matters. It lets all the spicy flavors become friends. They get cozy and perfect together.
A Little Story About Flames
Let me tell you about the first time I lit the brandy on fire. I was so nervous. My grandson said, “Go for it, Grandma!” I struck the match. Whoosh! A beautiful blue flame danced over the pudding. We all clapped. I still laugh at that.
That flame is pure joy. It is not really about cooking. It is about a little magic on your table. It makes everyone’s eyes light up. Do you have a holiday dish that feels a little bit magical? I would love to hear about it.
Why We Wait and Steam
This recipe has two big secrets. First, you simmer the raisins and currants. This plumps them up like tiny sweet balloons. It makes every bite juicy. Second, you steam the pudding for hours. This keeps it super moist and tender.
Steaming is a gentle, old-fashioned way to cook. It is why this pudding feels like a hug from the inside. The long wait after cooking matters too. It is like the pudding needs a long nap. It wakes up tasting a hundred times better. Good things take time.
The Fluffy Cloud of Sauce
Now, the hard sauce is not hard at all. It is a fluffy, buttery cloud. You beat butter and sugar for a long time. It turns almost white. Then you slowly add brandy and sherry. The trick is to add the liquid very, very slowly.
The orange zest and mace make it special. Mace is a warm spice, like a softer nutmeg. Fun fact: Mace and nutmeg come from the same fruit! The sauce melts over the warm pudding. It is the perfect partner. Do you prefer your sauces sweet, or tangy?
Making It Your Own
You can change this pudding to fit your family. Do not like citron? Leave it out. No brandy? Use more orange juice. The spices are your friends. Add a little more cinnamon if you love it. Recipes are just gentle guides.
The most important part is sharing it. Cut big wedges. Watch the sauce melt. Listen to the happy sounds at your table. That is the real recipe. Tell me, what is one food that always means “celebration” to you?
Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| dark raisins | 2 â…” cups (1 pound) | |
| dried currants | 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) | |
| water | 2 cups | For cooking the fruit |
| fresh bread crumbs | 1 cup | |
| packed dark brown sugar | 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) | |
| unbleached all-purpose flour | ¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces/106 grams) | |
| ground cinnamon | 2 teaspoons | |
| ground ginger | 2 teaspoons | |
| ground cloves | ½ teaspoon | |
| table salt | 1 teaspoon | For the pudding |
| cold unsalted butter | ½ pound (227 grams / 2 sticks) | Cut into ¼-inch pieces |
| large eggs | 4 | |
| cream sherry (or amontillado) | ½ cup | For the pudding batter |
| brandy or cognac | ⅓ cup | For the batter, plus ¼ cup optional for flaming |
| candied citron, finely chopped | ¼ cup | Optional |
| vegetable shortening | as needed | For greasing the mold |
| For the Hard Sauce: | ||
| unsalted butter, softened | ½ pound (227 grams / 2 sticks) | |
| confectioners’ sugar | 3 cups (12 ounces/340 grams) | |
| orange zest, finely grated | from 1 orange | |
| mace | ½ teaspoon | |
| table salt | ¼ teaspoon | |
| brandy or cognac | â…“ cup | |
| cream sherry (or amontillado) | 2 tablespoons | |
A Pudding Full of Stories
This plum pudding recipe is an old friend. My own grandmother taught me to make it. The kitchen would fill with the smell of spices and simmering fruit. I still laugh at that. I always burned my tongue tasting the hot raisins. Patience was never my strong suit.
Making it is a cozy, two-day adventure. Don’t let the long list scare you. We take it one sweet, fragrant step at a time. The secret is in the waiting. The flavors need time to become best friends in the bowl. Doesn’t that smell amazing already?
Here is how we bring this holiday treasure to life. Remember, good things come to those who steam!
Step 1: Start with the fruit. Chop half the raisins to be currant-sized. Put all the fruit and water in a big pot. Boil, then simmer until the water is almost gone. This makes the fruit wonderfully plump and juicy. Let it cool completely. This takes a few hours, so I use this time to tidy up. Step 2: Now for the spiced crumbs. Pulse the bread crumbs, sugar, flour, and spices in a food processor. Add the cold butter in little pieces. Pulse until it looks like sandy breadcrumbs. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the sherry and brandy. Stir in the crumb mix, then the cooled fruit. (A hard-learned tip: Make sure your fruit is cool! Warm fruit will melt the butter.) Step 3: Grease your pudding mold very, very well with shortening. I use my hands for this messy job. Spoon the thick batter into the mold. Leave space at the top for it to grow. Cover it tightly with its lid or some foil. Can you guess what we do next? We steam it! Step 4: Place the mold on a rack in a big pot. Pour boiling water halfway up its sides. Cover the pot and keep it at a happy simmer. Steam for three and a half long hours. Add more boiling water if it gets low. The steam fills your whole home with the most wonderful scent. Step 5: Let the pudding cool until it’s just warm. Then, gently shake it loose and turn it out. Wrap it tightly in foil. This is the magic part. Let it sit in a cool spot for three days. Then, tuck it in the fridge for at least a week. This waiting makes it incredibly rich and deep in flavor. What kitchen smell makes you think of home? Share below! Step 6: On the big day, steam the pudding again for a few hours until hot through. You can flambé it for drama! Warm a little brandy, pour it over, and carefully light it with a long match. The blue flames are beautiful but brief. Serve it in wedges with the hard sauce. Step 7: For the Hard Sauce, beat the soft butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Add the orange zest and mace. Then, slowly beat in the brandy and sherry. It becomes light as a cloud. Chill it, but let it warm up before serving. It should be soft and spreadable. Cook Time: 5–6 hours (steaming)Total Time: 1 hour active, plus 1+ week resting
Yield: 10–12 servings
Category: Dessert, Holiday
Your Own Pudding Adventure
This recipe is wonderful as written. But maybe you want to play. Here are three fun twists to make it your own.
Sunshine Swap: Use dried apricots and cranberries instead of raisins and currants. It tastes like a winter sunrise. Nutty Crunch: Fold in a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts with the fruit. It adds a lovely little crunch in every bite. Chocolate Dream: Stir in a half-cup of dark chocolate chips. They melt into sweet, hidden pockets of joy. Which one would you try first? Comment below!The Perfect Finale
This pudding is a celebration all by itself. But a few extra touches make it sing. I love to dust the platter with a snowfall of powdered sugar. A few fresh cranberries or a sprig of holly look so pretty beside it.
For a drink, a small glass of the same cream sherry used in the recipe is perfect. It just feels right. For a cozy non-alcoholic sip, hot spiced apple cider is my go-to. The cinnamon and apple are the best friends to our spiced pudding.
Which would you choose tonight?
Keeping Your Pudding Happy for Later
This pudding gets better with a little wait. Wrap it tight in foil after it cools. Then let it sit in the fridge. A week is good, but a month is magic. The flavors become best friends.
You can freeze it for two months, too. Use a heavy freezer bag. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat, just steam it again like the instructions say. It warms the whole kitchen.
I once forgot one in the back of the fridge. We found it five weeks later. It was the best one we ever tasted! Storing it right means a treat is always ready. It turns cooking into a gift for your future self.
Have you ever tried storing a dessert this way? Share below!
Common Hiccups and How to Fix Them
Is your pudding too dry? The pot probably needed more water. Always keep the water halfway up the mold. Check it every hour. Add more boiling water if it gets low.
The hard sauce might look curdled. Do not worry. Your butter was likely too cold. Let everything sit at room temperature first. This ensures a smooth, fluffy sauce every time.
I remember when my first pudding stuck to the mold. I did not grease it enough. Now I use shortening very thickly. This simple step makes serving so much easier. Getting these steps right builds your kitchen confidence. It also makes the flavors perfect.
Which of these problems have you run into before?
Your Quick Questions, Answered
Q: Can I make this gluten-free?
A: Yes. Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend and bread.
Q: How far ahead can I make it?
A: You can make the full pudding up to two months ahead. That is the real secret.
Q: I do not have citron or sherry.
A: That is fine. Leave the citron out. Use orange juice for the sherry.
Q: Can I make a smaller one?
A: Yes. Halve the recipe. Use a smaller mold. Steam it for less time.
Q: Is flaming it necessary?
A: Not at all. It is just for a fun, dramatic show. *Fun fact: the alcohol burns off, so only the flavor remains.*
Which tip will you try first?
From My Kitchen to Yours
I hope you try this special pudding. It is a recipe full of warmth and history. Making it is a lovely tradition to start. Your home will smell wonderful.
I would love to hear about your cooking adventure. Tell me about your family’s faces when you serve it. Sharing stories is my favorite part.
Have you tried this recipe? Share your experience in the comments.
Happy cooking!
—Grace Ellington.
Spiced Orange Mascarpone Plum Pudding
Description
A rich, spiced holiday classic steamed to perfection and served with a fluffy, aromatic orange-mace hard sauce.
Ingredients
For the Plum Pudding:
For the Hard Sauce:
Instructions
- Chop half of raisins into pieces roughly same size as currants. Combine chopped and whole raisins and currants in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan; add water. Cover and bring to boil; uncover and simmer briskly, stirring frequently, until nearly all liquid has evaporated, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove pan from heat, recover, and let cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
- Combine bread crumbs, brown sugar, flour, spices, and salt in workbowl of food processor. Process until brown sugar is completely pulverized, about 15 seconds. Add butter and pulse until mixture is consistency of coarse bread crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Be careful not to allow mixture to clump. Whisk eggs in large bowl until foamy, then beat in sherry and 1/3 cup brandy. Stir in crumb mixture. Add cooked fruits and their juices and citron, if using, and stir until well blended.
- Very thickly grease 2 1/2- or 3-quart mold with shortening. Fill mold with pudding batter, leaving at least 1 inch space between batter and rim to allow for expansion. If mold has cover, grease inside of cover and snap in place. Otherwise, cut piece of heavy-duty foil 1 inch larger than mold. Crimp foil over rim of mold with as little overhang as possible down sides (water tends to travel up overhanging foil).
- Arrange cake rack in bottom of large pot and set mold on top. Pour enough boiling water into pot to come halfway up sides of mold. If mold does not have its own cover, place upside-down plate over foil and cover pot. Turn heat to high and return water to boil as quickly as possible to set outside of pudding and prevent sticking. Lower heat to maintain brisk simmer and steam for 3 1/2 hours, replenishing pot with additional boiling water as needed.
- Remove mold from pot and let pudding cool until tepid. Shake mold back and forth to loosen pudding, then unmold onto large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Wrap pudding tightly, then wrap in second sheet of foil or enclose in zipper-lock plastic bag. Let pudding stand at cool room temperature for 3 days, then refrigerate for at least 1 week and up to 2 months.
- When ready to serve, return pudding to original mold that has been well greased and steam 2 to 3 hours, until center registers 160 degrees on instant read thermometer, or knife plunged in center comes out hot. (Once reheated, pudding can be left in pot, with heat shut off, for 1 to 2 hours before serving.) Invert pudding onto platter and unmold. If you wish to flambé pudding, warm 1/4 cup brandy in small saucepan until barely tepid. Drizzle brandy over pudding and then, standing back, ignite with long wooden match. Cut into wedges and serve with Fluffy Orange-Mace Hard Sauce.
- For Hard Sauce: Combine butter, sugar, zest, mace, and salt in large bowl with electric mixer set at low speed; gradually increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy and looks almost white, 7 to 10 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Combine brandy and sherry in liquid measuring cup. With mixer running, very slowly dribble in spirits until well combined. Turn mixture into airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Bring refrigerated sauce to room temperature before transferring to serving dish or it will separate.
Notes
- For best flavor, make the pudding at least 10 days before serving. The hard sauce can be made up to a week ahead. To flambé safely, ensure the brandy is just warm, not hot, and use a long match.