Dilemma with the Christmas pudding

[AmyC86]

So today I made a Christmas Cake & Christmas Pudding. I'm houting this year, it's my first ever time & I'm super excited!!

I'm quite an accomplished baker & I have made many fruit cakes (even the fruit cake part of my own wedding cake) so I know my way around recipes. However, today was the first attempt at making a Christmas pudding. I've ate Christmas pudding before & it's defiantly one of my favourites but in the past, other family members have either not liked it or have usually just got the microwave jobs, which are fine and easy, but I fancied a challenge.

Anyway, it was ready to start steaming at 4pm - then I read the last instruction - steam for 6 hours anyway. It's been in 6 hours, took it out and it's still completely and utterly raw .

Spoke with my mum who said to just turn it off and continue with it 2moro (I've done that now so balls to it if it will go wrong). The reason I found why it wasn't cooked is becuase the water has to be constantly bubbling & the lid has to be on the pan. I then realised that ive never had to steam anything before ever (apart from using a steamer for fish) so I now feel pretty foolish!

Do you think that it'll be okay in situ over night & start again with it 2moro?!?!

Yes, the steam needs to be quite aggressive! 8 hours if it's not.

Chill it tonight, then give it another 3 -5 hours in the morning (maybe 6, if it's a 2lb jobbie), but then freeze it, once it's cool - all that maturing stuff will still happen and the freezer will actually help it to mellow, anyhow.

The recipe called for chilling in the fridge, would that matter? Also, if I did freeze it, how long would you re-steam? Or would you thaw first? It's 1 inch from the top of a 1.6ltr pudding basin.

Christmas pudding does not need to be cooked immediately after mixing, so I should think a night in the fridge will do it no harm.

Do you have a slow-cooker or pressure cooker? They are brilliant for making (and reheating) Xmas pud.

I don't freeze my Xmas pud. Once I've fed it well with alcohol, I replace the covering of the basin with a fresh grease proof paper. A circle to fit the pudding top snugly, then a cover tied on with string, then wrap the lot tightly with foil and shove in the back of a cupboard until Xmas.

Reheat from room temp by steaming for ~2h.

I've often left my puds overnight before cooking so should be fine.

You don't need to freeze a traditional type pud. Just put some clean greased, greaseproof paper over the top, and cover with foil. I tie my foil tops on with string and either keep them in the fridge, if there's room, or in a cool cupboard.

My (ancient) recipe says to reboil for 5 hours on the day. What I actually do is turn it out of the basin, then stick it on a plate with the basin over it, and microwave on full power for about 5 mins, leave a few mins and do a few more mins.
BTW if you want to flame it, 50/50 brandy and vodka is good. I heat it in a small frying pan until it catches, quickly pour over pud on a tray, and zoom with it into dining room. Dining room lights switched off first to get best effect!

Did ours in the slow cooker - 12-24 hours per pudding.

My only thought with freezing was the issue of it having got a bit warm with a few hours of steam vaguely wafting around it!

I always leave my christmas pudding overnight after mixing - allows the flavours to meld . And it is steamed in a pressure cooker - 2 hours on high.Then ordinary steam on Christmas day for 2 hours

oh, and btw - it just gets put on my pantry shelf until Christmas - I did mine on Monday

Done it! Thank God xx only took 4 hours xx I've replaced the greaseproof and foil and left it cooling xx I'm just going to shove it with the Christmas cake. After its cooled would you feed it again?!?! The fruit was presoaked in sherry

I've never fed my puds after they have been cooked.

I don't feed mine after steaming, just put on a new greaseproof cover.

I've never pre-soaked, hence I feed. I imagine that if you pre soak you wouldn't need to feed.

Hi. I made 8 small 500g christmas puddings. They were all cooked individually in a slow cooker on high for over 8hrs. I've used different brands of vegetarian suet but there are lots of pieces of uncooked suet in the pudding. It looks awful. Has anyone got any advice. Should i cook longer?? My puddings are for gifts so im really concerned Thankyou

Can't work out how to edit posts

Don't microwave Christmas pudding the fire brigades say it's yh main reason for Christmas day call outs as the high sugar content can catch fire relatively easily.