Vegan Chocolate Christmas Pudding

Vegan chocolate Christmas pudding - this vegan chocolate version of the classic British steamed festive pudding is rich, moist, fruity, boozy and chocolatey, but not overly dense or heavy.

It is easy to make and can be cooked in advance and matured for up to six months or eaten right away instead.

Christmas pudding is quite divisive, some people love it, some hate it. I am firmly in the 'love' camp though I do get why lots of people don't like it; it does tend to be quite dense and heavy.

If you aren't usually a fan, then maybe this chocolate version will convert you. It is rich, moist and fruity like a classic xmas pud, but has the added indulgence of chocolate, both cocoa powder and chocolate chips, making it even more decadent.

Christmas pudding may seem tricky to make but it is actually incredibly simple. It does take five hours to steam so you need to make sure that you start making it fairly early in the day; but it is all hands off time while it is cooking.

It can be stored for up to six months before Christmas (see instructions below for how to store it), or made as little as a couple of days in advance. On the day it will take an hour to steam before serving.

Ingredient Details:

Mixed dried fruit: I used a shop bought mix of raisins, sultanas, currants and candied peel plus some chopped dates, but feel free to vary the fruit that you use as long as you stick to the same overall weight. Dried cranberries would be lovely, as would chopped dried apricots or figs.

Butter: For the best results you need to use a vegan block butter, not the spreadable kind which has too high a water content for baking. I like Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.

Cocoa powder: Use dutch processed cocoa powder rather than natural (that's just regular cocoa powder to those of you in the UK).

Alcohol: Rum, whisky, brandy, amaretto, Tia Maria, port or sherry all work. You will need some to soak the fruit in and some to feed the pudding. Use cointreau or triple sec if you want to add extra orange flavour.

Oranges: Orange juice and zest adds lots of flavour. I also add some orange extract but you can swap it for vanilla.

Plain flour: I have only tested this with plain (all-purpose) flour but I think that a plain gluten-free flour blend would work well instead.

Fresh breadcrumbs: This is home made breadcrumbs rather than the dry ones you can buy from the supermarket. To make them simply remove the crusts from a couple of slices of slightly stale white bread, weigh out 75g worth and blend them in a food processor until finely chopped. You can also finely crumble them by hand if you don't have a food processor.

This will also work with gluten-free bread if you want to try making a GF pudding.

Cooking apple: Grated cooking apple helps keep the pudding moist. I recommend using Bramley cooking apples if you can, or a sharp variety such as Granny Smith if not.

Baking powder: Don't use baking soda instead, they are not the same.

Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown soft or muscovado sugar will work.

Mixed spice: For those of you not in the UK, mixed spice is a blend of sweet spices which is used in abundance in festive baking. It is similar to pumpkin spice but uses a different blend and is less heavy on the cinnamon. You can use any sweet spice blend such as pumpkin or apple pie spice instead.

Chocolate chips: This is a chocolate christmas pudding after all. You can use roughly chopped dark chocolate instead.

How To Make Vegan Chocolate Christmas Pudding:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Mix together the dried fruits, alcohol of your choosing, orange zest and juice. Cover and leave to soak overnight.

Step 2: Stir in the grated apple, melted butter, sugar and the orange extract.

Step 3: Add the flour, breadcrumbs, cocoa powder, baking powder, mixed spice and chocolate chips and stir until well combined.

Step 4: Transfer the batter to a greased pudding basin and spread it level.

Step 5: Make a pleat in the middle of a square of baking parchment and the same again in a square of tin foil.

Step 6: Place the baking parchment on top of the pudding basin with the pleat in the middle, followed by the tin foil. Press the foil over the edge of the pudding basin.

Tie a length of string very tightly around the foil – there should be a lip on the pudding basin; tie the string just under that. Tie a length of string across the top of the basin to make a handle. Trim off the excess foil and parchment, leaving at least a centimeter below the string.

Step 7: Place a saucer upside down in a large saucepan to act as a trivet and place the pudding basin on top. Pour boiling water into the pan so that it comes about halfway up the pudding basin, don't let it touch the foil.

Place the lid on the pan and place over a low heat. Cook at a gentle simmer for five hours.

Step 8: When it is cooked, the pudding should be a deep brown colour and be firm to the touch with a little bit of bounce. A skewer inserted into the centre (avoiding any chocolate chips) should come out clean or with moist crumbs but no wet batter.

Top Tips:

You can vary the dried fruit to suit you as long as you keep the same overall weight (450g). Dried cranberries, cherries and blueberries and chopped dried figs would be great options.

If you don't want to soak the fruit overnight, you can heat the fruit and liquid up together until steaming then leave to soak for 30-60 minutes, until it has cooled to room temperature.

Christmas pudding is traditionally made on Stir Up Sunday, which is the last Sunday before the season of Advent; but it can be made any time up to six months in advance of Christmas, and as little as a couple of days beforehand if needed.

Traditionally, everyone in the household is meant to take a turn stirring the pudding mix and make a special wish for the year ahead.

This recipe uses fresh rather than dried breadcrumbs; to make fresh breadcrumbs simply remove the crusts from a couple of slices of slightly stale white bread, weigh out 75g worth and blend them in a food processor until finely chopped. You can also finely crumble them by hand if you don't have a food processor.

If you have a pudding basin with a lid you can skip the step of covering it with baking parchment and foil.

Any leftover vegan chocolate Christmas pudding will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks and can be reheated as needed. It can also be frozen for up to one year provided it is well wrapped.

How To Store Christmas Pudding:

This vegan chocolate Christmas pudding can be stored for up to six months provided you make it with alcohol and feed it every week or two with a little more alcohol.

Once the pudding is done steaming, allow it to cool then remove the tin foil and baking parchment and replace them with fresh ones. Store it in a cool, dark place (like a cupboard). Every two weeks, take off the foil and parchment and drizzle over a tablespoon of rum or brandy (or the alcohol of your choice).

The pudding will drink it up and become more rich and moist for Christmas.

If you want to make the pudding without alcohol then you will not be able to store it for more than a couple of weeks as it is the alcohol that preserves it.

The pudding can also be frozen for up to a year. Thaw overnight before heating it through to serve.

How To Flame A Christmas Pudding:

When serving a Christmas pudding, traditionally you are supposed to set it alight with flaming brandy first. This is totally optional of course but it is quite a spectacle!

To light your pudding, once it has had it's second steaming, turn it out onto a wide serving plate with a lip; you don't want to end up with flaming alcohol running over the edge of the plate and onto the table!

Place about 2-3 Tbsp of brandy, rum or vodka in a metal ladle. Hold the bottom of the ladle over a candle, tealight or gas hob to heat up the alcohol.

Carefully tilt the ladle sideways slightly so that the alcohol catches light (or use a match) then gently pour the flaming alcohol over the pudding and turn out the lights so that everyone can see the flames!

What To Serve With Vegan Christmas Pudding:

Traditionally, Christmas pudding is served with either brandy sauce or brandy butter, but it is also great with ice cream, custard or cream.

To make a vegan brandy sauce, place 3 Tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) in a pan and gradually whisk in 400ml non-dairy milk (soy or oat would be the best options here). Whisk in 75g caster sugar then bring the pan to the boil, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens.

Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Tbsp brandy (or rum), the seeds from 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste) and 100ml plant based cream (such as soy or oat). Serve the sauce warm with the pudding.

This vegan chocolate Christmas pudding would also be great served with chocolate sauce or chocolate custard.

More Festive Vegan Desserts:

• Classic vegan Christmas pudding
• Steamed chocolate pudding
• Vegan mincemeat frangipane tart
• Berry and coconut steamed puddings
• Vegan chocolate raspberry mousse cake
• Vegan viennese whirl mince pies
• No-bake chocolate ginger tart
• Vegan tiramisu
• Vegan chocolate orange pots
• Vegan chocolate mousse
• Vegan steamed maple syrup pudding

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