Tropical Christmas Pudding
With Christmas 2025 approaching , you might be thinking of Christmas pudding. And don’t worry, this pudding doesn’t have to be made months in advance. I usually make it just a few days before Christmas!
The recipe is from my book My Family, My Recipes. It’s a Christmas pudding with a difference: a lighter, fruitier version of the English classic. Made with tropical pineapple, it's a delicious dessert. Serve it with caramel sauce and fresh or roasted pineapple. Tropical and fabulous!
450g tin pineapple (crushed or pieces) in syrup
Rum Syrup
110g sugar
125mls rum
125mls reserved pineapple
Pudding
250g butter, cubed
200g brown sugar
250g sultanas
250g raisins
125g currants
75g glacé cherries
75g glacé apricots
4 free-range eggs, beaten
110g plain flour
110g self-raising flour
35g breadcrumbs
Caramel Sauce
200g sugar
75mls cream
50g butter cubed
Grease a 2-litre pudding steamer or bowl and line the base with baking paper.
Drain the tinned pineapple well, reserving 125mls of pineapple syrup.
To make the Rum Syrup, add sugar to a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and has turned brown. Carefully add rum and reserved pineapple syrup, as the mixture will bubble. Stir until any toffee pieces in the mixture have dissolved. You only need half the syrup - use the rest in cakes or muffins as a flavouring.
Put the butter and sugar in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, but don't boil.
Stir in half the Rum Syrup to the butter and sugar mixture, bring to a boil, and then remove from the heat. Stir in the dried and glacé fruit and the pineapple. Cool to room temperature.
Place the butter/sugar/ fruit mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the beaten eggs, flour and breadcrumbs.
Transfer the pudding mixture into the pudding steamer or bowl. Cover the top of the pudding with a layer of greased aluminium foil. Make sure you cut a piece large enough to allow the pudding to expand when cooked – you can make a pleat in the foil which will allow this expansion. If using a steamer, place the lid on the steamer. Secure with string around the outside of the pudding steamer/bowl. You can make an easy handling device by simply folding a piece of foil lengthways with 4 thicknesses and placing this under the steamer or bowl rather like a handle. Place the pudding steamer or bowl in a large pot with boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the steamer/bowl. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Boil for 6 hours; replenish with hot water from a recently boiled kettle as needed.
When cool enough to handle, take the pudding steamer/bowl out of the pot. Wrap the steamer/bowl in cling wrap and store it in the fridge, or you can freeze the pudding.
To make the caramel sauce, put the sugar in a saucepan with 50mls water. Gently heat on low, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the sugar is just melted. Simmer gently, swirling regularly, until the liquid is a very dark golden caramel. Remove the saucepan from the heat, then carefully and quickly whisk in the cream and butter. Be careful, as the mixture will splutter. Keep whisking until the sauce is smooth.
To reheat the pudding for serving, remove the cling wrap and return it to the steamer/bowl and then to the pot filled with water as before. Steam for ½ - 1 hour as above to gently reheat.
Carefully remove the steamer/bowl from the pot and turn out the hot pudding onto a plate.
Serve with the caramel sauce and cream, custard or ice cream.