These lovely rich Christmas puddings make the perfect personalized gifts. What’s more the special Christmas fruit mixture can be stored and used whenever required, – as the base of a pudding, a large cake or several small cakes, to be individually wrapped as gifts.

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RICH IRISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING Makes 12
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If you start from scratch on this recipe, it’s ideal to let the fruit mixture stand as long as a week, the longer the better, so factor that into your time. If that’s absolutely impossible, at least overnight in a cool dark place. It’s a must to let all the flavors mingle with each other really well.

INGREDIENTS
Special Fruit Mixture
250 / 1 ½ cups sultanas
100g / 1 cups currants
150g / 1 cups raisins, chopped
100g / 1 cups dates, chopped
100g / 1 cups dried prunes, chopped
50g / 1/3 cups red glace cherries, quartered
35g / 1/4 cup mixed peel
1 small apples, peeled, grated coarsely
50g jar / 3 tbsp fig jam
1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbsp lemon juice
100g / ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
75ml Irish Whiskey

For the Pudding
250g butter, melted , cooled
3 eggs, beaten lightly
250g / 4 cups lightly packed breadcrumbs
75g / ½ cup plain flour for steamed pudding
2 tsp melted butter for greasing moulds

PREPARATION

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine thoroughly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Stand in a cool dark place, overnight if you are short on time, but preferably up to a week. Stir the ingredients occasionally. It can be stored in the refrigerator too.

One week later, place the fruit mixture in a large bowl; add the butter, eggs, breadcrumbs and sifted flour and mix thoroughly.

Grease 12 dariole moulds or similar heatproof dishes – each about 180ml / 3/4 cup capacity, with melted butter.

Spoon the mixture till you fill the moulds evenly and top with pleated baking paper and foil. Secure each shut with a rubber band.

Place the moulds in a large shallow frying pan, electric fry pan or cooker, with enough boiling water to come at least halfway up the sides of the moulds. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and boil for 2 hours. Replenish with boiling water as and when needed to maintain the water level.

Remove when done and set to cool. You could coat them with marzipan or butter icing.

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This simple recipe uses a readymade ginger cake.
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MINI CHRISTMAS PUDDINGSMakes 10
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INGREDIENTS
150 g / 6 oz unsalted butter
200g / 8oz plain chocolate
150g / 6oz raisins
5 tbsp brandy, port or orange juice
1kg / 25 oz ready-made ginger cake
For the decoration
60g / 2oz ready-to-roll icing (or marzipan)
Green and red food colorings
Mini red sugar balls (optional)
A tube of red writing icing

PREPARATION
Soak the raisins in brandy, port or orange juice for about 1 hour.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over a pan of simmering water.

Stir the raisins and their liquid into the melted butter-chocolate mixture.

Crumble the ginger cake roughly and mix in thoroughly.

Place in the fridge for about 1 hour to firm up, then remove and roll into 10 plum-sized balls.

Colour 1/2 of the icing green, roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar and cut into shapes like holly leaves or even small diamond shapes

Colour ¼ of the icing red and roll into berries or use red sugar balls.

Roll out the remaining ¼ of white icing or marzipan and cut out 10 uneven circles for the dripping icing effect on top of each pudding.

Decorate with the holly leaves and berries, dampen the icing underneath to stick onto the cake.

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