Iced Christmas Pudding

Iced Christmas Pudding

I am going to make this as an alternative to the traditional Christmas Pudding. I found this recipe online

The good news is you can make this up to two weeks before Christmas and freeze it

Ingredients:

FOR THE MINCEMEAT OR BUY A JAR OF VEGETARIAN OR SUET FREE MINCEMEAT!

• 100g seedless raisins
• 100g sultanas
• 50g currants
• 25g pecan halves, toasted and chopped
• grated zest of 2 lemons
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 level tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp Cointreau or Grand Marnier or other favourite tipple (optional)

FOR THE PUDDING

• 400g full-fat cream cheese
• 75g icing sugar
• 150ml double cream

FOR THE BISCUIT LAYER

• 125g digestive biscuits
• 50g butter, melted
• a sprig of holly or a few bay leaves, to finish
• a few frosted cranberries, to finish

Method:

1. Mix all the mincemeat ingredients together in a bowl and set aside
2. Line a 1-litre pudding basin with oiled clingfilm so the film hangs over the edge of the basin. In another bowl, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar
3. In a third bowl, whip the double cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture with the mincemeat. Pile into the pudding basin
4. To make the biscuit layer, whiz the biscuits in a processor to fine crumbs. Mix with the melted butter in a bowl, then spoon onto the pudding mixture, pressing down evenly. Fold over the clingfilm and freeze overnight
5. To serve, take the pudding out of the freezer and, after 15 minutes, invert it onto a plate. Leave it for a further 15 minutes, remove the bowl and clingfilm and top with holly and frosted cranberries. Spoon or slice to serve

Candida Hopkinson