Amazing 5 Hour plum pudding Secret

There is just something about the holidays that demands a show-stopping, deeply comforting dessert, right? For my family, that signal comes the moment we start thinking about making our **plum pudding**. Forget quick treats; this is the real deal—our **Traditional Plum Pudding with Brandy Butter Sauce**. This recipe reminds me so much of my grandmother in Ohio, turning simple dried fruit and spices into something truly magical that tastes just like tradition. I love looking back at my journey and sharing these heirloom recipes on my About page.

We’re going to tackle this classic together, and I promise, even if you’ve been scared off by decades of fussy holiday recipes, this method makes it approachable. It takes time, sure, but when you breathe in that aroma while it steams, you know every minute stirring was worth it. Get your mixing bowl ready!

Why This Traditional Plum Pudding Recipe is a Holiday Must-Have

Look, I get it. Steaming a dessert for six hours sounds like something only professional bakers or my great aunt Mildred would attempt! But trust me when I say this traditional plum pudding recipe is worth every second. This isn’t some quick-and-dirty version; this is the real, dense, flavorful classic British pudding that tastes like history in a bowl. That long, slow steam is absolutely crucial—it tenderizes all those dried fruits and spices into a cohesive, melt-in-your-mouth slice. If you tried to bake it quickly, you’d end up with something dry and crumbly. We want rich, moist comfort!

This dessert is the definition of a make ahead holiday dessert. In fact, it tastes better if you wait! It’s the perfect make-do for busy weeks, and you can find more great ideas in my general Desserts category. Many people, like those over at Supergolden Bakes, swear by the authenticity of the slow steam method, and I have to agree with them here. You can see why this style is such a classic when you check out articles like their piece on Traditional Christmas Pudding.

Expert Tips for the Perfect Festive Steamed Dessert

To make sure your pudding is absolutely perfect for your table, listen up for these little secrets I picked up:

• Make sure your mixed dried fruit is really varied. Don’t just use raisins! Currants give a nice tartness, and sultanas add sweetness. A good mix makes every spoonful interesting, which is key for a festive steamed dessert.
• When you press the mixture into the basin, really pack it down! You think you’re overdoing it, but you need the mixture to be very firm so it holds its shape when it’s steaming and boiling away for hours.
• Don’t skimp on the zest. I use the entire orange I zest for the recipe, and I always make sure to use a fine grater to get only the bright orange part, not that bitter white pith underneath. That fresh zest pops beautifully against the deep molasses flavor!

Gathering Ingredients for Your Old Fashioned Plum Pudding

We’re past the worrying stage now, and into the satisfying part: gathering our treasures! Making this old fashioned plum pudding is all about having quality ingredients ready to go. I’ve broken this down into two simple groups—what goes into the main pudding and what we need for that incredible sauce you’ll pour over the top.

For the pudding itself, you absolutely must have 175g of shredded suet—that’s what gives it that proper old-school texture. Make sure your dark brown sugar is packed tight in the measuring cup, too! I also need 175g of mixed dried fruit, which has to be a blend, so make sure you grab raisins, currants, and sultanas. See the full list below:

• 175 g shredded suet
• 175 g dark brown sugar, packed
• 175 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 175 g mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas)
• 50 g chopped candied peel
• 50 g chopped almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon brandy (plus extra for soaking/feeding)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

And for the sauce, we keep it simple:

• For the Brandy Butter Sauce: 100 g unsalted butter, softened; 100 g icing sugar, sifted; 2 tablespoons brandy

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Plum Pudding

Now, I know suet can be hard to hunt down sometimes! If you can’t find it, don’t panic. You can substitute it with an equal amount of cold, grated vegetable shortening. It works just fine, though suet gives it a little something extra, you know? Also, if you’re trying to keep things lighter or skip the hard stuff, you can easily swap that tablespoon of brandy for orange liqueur, or even just use extra orange juice paired with a teaspoon of good vanilla extract.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Christmas Pudding Steamed

Okay, deep breaths! We’re going to make this beautiful, dense, Christmas pudding steamed dessert! It seems daunting because of the time involved, but the actual mixing part is really straightforward when you follow the steps. First things first, you need to bring your ingredients together gently. Remember that stiff mixture we talked about in the ingredient list? Mix up all your suet, sugar, spices, fruit, zest, juice, and eggs until everything is just combined. Don’t overmix! We just want it incorporated.

If you want to use the slow cooker—which, hey, that’s a great shortcut for a busy holiday, as ideas like those on Easy Peasy Slow Cook show—you can totally do that. For the traditional way, you stir everything until you have that stiff pudding mixture ready to go into the basin.

Preparing the Pudding Basin and Steaming Setup

This setup is everything! You need to grease your 1.2-liter pudding basin really well, and then you gently press all that rich pudding mixture firmly inside. Leave a little space at the top, seriously, because this stuff expands as it cooks. Next comes the tricky part that keeps the water out:

1. Cut a piece of baking parchment and then a piece of aluminum foil. You need to pleat both of them. The pleat is important because it gives the pudding room to grow without tearing the cover off!
2. Lay the parchment over the top of the basin first, then the foil right on top of that.
3. Tie everything tightly around the rim using sturdy string. This seal has to be tight! Make sure you tie a little loop handle over the top of the basin so you can fish it out later without burning yourself.

Now for the actual cooking: lower your secured basin into a large saucepan with boiling water so the water comes about halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover the pot and let it steam gently for a full 5 to 6 hours. Keep checking the water level every hour though! If it drops too low, the pudding will burn, and trust me, you don’t want to rescue that mess. If you prefer those frozen daiquiris for dessert, maybe have someone else on water-duty!

Making the Perfect Brandy Butter Sauce Recipe

You’ve steamed this gorgeous, heavy pudding for hours, so now we need a topping that sings! The brandy butter sauce recipe is honestly so fast, it’s almost embarrassingly easy compared to the steaming marathon. You just need the butter to be nice and soft—I mean really soft, room temperature, nothing hard about it.

Take your softened butter and start beating it vigorously with the sifted icing sugar. I use my hand mixer for this part because I want it light and fluffy, almost pale yellow. It should look like a wonderfully creamy mound. Then, you just stir in those two tablespoons of brandy until it’s perfectly smooth. That’s it! You can find my guide for making creamy horseradish sauce if you need practice with creaming dairy, but this is even easier.

Once your pudding is reheated, turn it out onto a platter. If you want that dramatic holiday moment, warm up a tiny splash of extra brandy in a small saucepan (don’t boil it!), pour it over the top, and *carefully* light it with a long match. Watch it blaze! Then, you serve the piping hot pudding immediately with big dollops of that beautiful, cool brandy butter sauce melting right over the top.

SAVE IT

Storing and Reheating Your Traditional Plum Pudding

This is the secret weapon of all truly great traditional desserts: you *have* to make it ahead of time! That’s right, this rich plum pudding tastes infinitely better if you prepare it weeks, or even months, before you plan to serve it. Once your pudding is steamed until done, you let it cool completely. Then, wrap it up so tight you can’t see any air getting in—I use plastic wrap first, then heavy-duty foil for good measure. Keep it somewhere cool, like the fridge or even the freezer if you’re planning way ahead.

SAVE IT

Now for the lovely tradition! If you have time, you should “feed” your pudding weekly. Just unwrap it, drizzle a tablespoon of brandy right over the top, rewrap it tightly, and put it back in storage. It soaks up all that goodness and gets deeper and darker!

When it’s finally time for the big dinner, you don’t bake it; you steam it again! You need to steam your **plum pudding** for a good two hours until it is piping hot all the way through. That second steaming just revitalizes it beautifully. It’s worth every bit of advanced planning, I promise you!

Tips for Success When Making Plum Pudding

I want your **plum pudding** experience to be legendary, not stressful! The absolute biggest tip I can give you—and this is what Grandma always insisted on—is to start this dessert way earlier than you think you need to. Seriously, make it three or four weeks ahead of time if you can. That resting period allows the spices to meld, and then you “feed” it that little bit of brandy each week. It deepens the flavor in a way no last-minute addition ever could. It’s part of the fun!

Also, when you’re mixing up the ingredients, you have to ensure that mixture is stiff. If it feels too loose or sloppy when you try to scoop it into the basin, add a few more breadcrumbs. You need that density to hold up to hours of steaming. For more of my general kitchen wisdom, check out my main blog page. I always love sharing tips, even when I’m sharing recipes from others, like this lovely one on Easy English Plum Pudding!

Serving Suggestions for This Winter Comfort Dessert

We’ve poured all that love and time into this rich pudding, so let’s talk about how to make the table look spectacular when you serve it! While the brandy butter sauce is my absolute favorite accompaniment—it melts into the hot pudding just perfectly—there are wonderful alternatives if you’re serving folks who prefer less booze or just want something different.

Every time I look at this dessert cooling, I think to myself, this is the ultimate winter comfort dessert. It just wraps you up warm. If you’re looking for something milder, a thick, rich vanilla custard is a total classic pairing. Pouring that warm custard over a slice is heavenly. Or, keeping it simple with a dollop of thick clotted cream or even a high-quality vanilla bean ice cream offers a lovely hot-and-cold contrast!

SAVE IT

When you’re doing your final presentation, remember that presentation matters! You can easily serve this alongside reheated mashed potato cakes if you were looking for something savory earlier in the meal, but for dessert, just make sure everyone gets a generous piece and a big spoonful of whatever topping you choose. You’ll find more easy pairing ideas over on my savory side dishes post, which shows you how versatile leftovers can be!

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Plum Pudding

I know that when you tackle a recipe this historic, questions pop up! It’s natural to want to cover your bases before committing to that long steaming time. I’ve gathered up the ones I hear most often because getting this right means you get to enjoy an incredible plum pudding for the holidays!

I always try to make my instructions as clear as possible, but sometimes we just need a direct answer, right? If you ever have a question I haven’t covered here, feel free to drop me a line over on my contact page!

Can I use a slow cooker for my plum pudding recipe?

Yes, you totally can! If you don’t want to attend to a saucepan on the stove for six hours, the slow cooker is your friend. We briefly mentioned it in the instructions, but you can get a great result using the same pudding mix. You can set it on low for about 8 hours or high for roughly 4 hours. Honestly, using the slow cooker turns this into a genuine slow cooker pudding recipe—it’s set-it-and-forget-it flavor!

Is this a traditional English pudding dessert?

It absolutely is! This recipe is modeled after those deeply rich, fruit-filled desserts that have been the centerpiece of holiday tables for centuries. It’s a true English pudding dessert, filled with spice and fruit, and designed specifically to be steamed long and slow. That’s why we use suet and keep the moisture levels so high—it’s an authentic style, not just a cake baked in a basin!

What can I use instead of suet?

If you’re finding suet hard to find, don’t sweat it! Suet is just rendered beef or mutton fat, but as I mentioned, cold, grated vegetable shortening works as a fantastic, easy swap in equal measure. It provides the fat content needed for the texture, even if it doesn’t always bring that same traditional flavor profile.

Nutritional Estimates for Your Festive Plum Pudding

Now, I always like to give you an idea of what you’re getting into, nutrition-wise, especially when we’re talking about a rich, spirit-soaked dessert like this! Remember, because we used suet and a generous amount of dried fruit and sugar, this is definitely an indulgence for a special occasion. These numbers below are just estimates based on how I calculate mine, but they should give you a good baseline.

Please keep in mind that the actual values can shift around based on the exact brand of butter you use or how much brandy you splash on top during that final “feeding.” It’s a holiday treat, not a health food, but knowing the rough breakdown is always helpful for planning the rest of your feast!

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 550
• Sugar: 65g
• Sodium: 120mg
• Fat: 30g
• Saturated Fat: 18g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 70g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 100mg

SAVE IT

There you have it! It’s high in flavor, as it should be. If you decide to skip the brandy butter sauce, you’ll shave off quite a bit of that sugar and fat content, but honestly, why would you do that on Christmas?

Traditional Plum Pudding with Brandy Butter Sauce

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Make this classic, rich, and festive steamed plum pudding, perfect for holiday gatherings, served warm with a homemade brandy butter sauce.

• Author: Carla Davis
• Prep Time: 45 min
• Cook Time: 6 hours
• Total Time: 7 hours 45 min
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Steaming
• Cuisine: British
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 175 g shredded suet
• 175 g dark brown sugar, packed
• 175 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 175 g mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas)
• 50 g chopped candied peel
• 50 g chopped almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon brandy (plus extra for soaking/feeding)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• For the Brandy Butter Sauce: 100 g unsalted butter, softened; 100 g icing sugar, sifted; 2 tablespoons brandy

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the suet, brown sugar, breadcrumbs, mixed dried fruit, candied peel, almonds, ground spices, and orange zest. Mix these dry ingredients well.
2. Stir in the orange juice, 1 tablespoon of brandy, and the beaten eggs until everything is evenly combined into a stiff mixture.
3. Lightly grease a 1.2-liter pudding basin. Press the pudding mixture firmly into the basin, leaving a small space at the top for expansion.
4. Cover the top of the basin tightly with a pleated piece of baking parchment, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Tie securely around the rim with string, creating a loop handle over the top for easy lifting.
5. Steam the pudding by placing the basin in a large saucepan with boiling water reaching halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover the saucepan and steam gently for 5 to 6 hours. Check the water level regularly and top up with boiling water as needed.
6. Alternatively, steam in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
7. Once cooked, allow the pudding to cool completely. Store it wrapped tightly in the refrigerator or freezer.
8. To reheat, steam again for 2 hours until piping hot throughout.
9. While the pudding reheats, make the brandy butter sauce: Beat the softened butter and sifted icing sugar together until light and creamy. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of brandy until smooth.
10. Turn the hot pudding out onto a serving plate. Pour the brandy butter sauce over the top or serve it alongside. If desired, pour a little extra brandy over the top and carefully ignite it just before serving for a traditional presentation.

Notes

• For the best flavor, prepare this traditional plum pudding several weeks ahead of time and ‘feed’ it with a tablespoon of brandy every week until serving.
• If you do not have suet, you can substitute it with an equal amount of cold, grated vegetable shortening.
• If you prefer not to use alcohol, substitute the brandy with orange liqueur or extra orange juice and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 550
• Sugar: 65
• Sodium: 120
• Fat: 30
• Saturated Fat: 18
• Unsaturated Fat: 12
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 70
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 6
• Cholesterol: 100