dairy free

Vegan Christmas Pudding

November 14, 2019 by hannahhossack 2 Comments

Vegan Christmas pudding – this vegan version of the classic British steamed Christmas pudding is rich, moist, fruity and boozy 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.

This vegan one is a little bit lighter than a lot of recipes, but is still rich and moist. It is packed with juicy rum soaked dried fruit and is lightly spiced and perfectly festive.

It is the perfect way to round off your Christmas dinner and I think that this vegan pudding is just as good as, if not better than, the classic suet and egg laden version.

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.

How To Make Vegan Christmas Pudding:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*

You need to start making this vegan Christmas pudding the day before you want to steam it as the fruit needs to soak overnight.

Mix together dried raisins, currants and chopped dried dates and apricots (or use a different selection of dried fruits as you like) with the zest and juice of an orange and some rum, brandy or sherry, cover and leave to soak overnight. I give it a stir every now and again to ensure that the fruit is equally coated.

The next day, stir a peeled and grated cooking apple into the fruit mixture; Bramley apple is best but Granny Smith will do if you can’t get hold of them.

Next, stir in self-raising flour, fresh breadcrumbs, light brown soft sugar and mixed spice (pumpkin spice) followed by aquafaba, melted refined coconut oil, non-dairy milk and chopped almonds.

The aquafaba and coconut oil are absolutely the best replacements for the eggs and suet/butter that are usually used in Christmas pudding so I don’t recommend subbing them for anything else. As long as you use refined rather than virgin coconut oil your pudding won’t taste like coconut.

Grease a 1.2 – 1.4 litre pudding basin and place a disc of baking parchment in the bottom to prevent the top of the pudding from sticking.

Spoon the pudding mixture into the greased basin and pack it down firmly then level the top. It is ok if the mixture comes almost all the way up to the top of the basin as it doesn’t rise much but make sure that there is at least a centimetre gap at the top.

Make a fold in the middle of a square of baking parchment and the same again in a square of tin foil. Place the baking parchment on top of the pudding basin with the fold 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.

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 (it will do the pudding no harm to leave it to cook for a little longer however). Check every now and again to see if the water needs topping up but resist the urge to take the lid off the pan too often.

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 should come out clean.

Once the pudding is done steaming, remove it from the pan and leave it to cool then remove the baking parchment and tin foil and replace them with fresh ones. Store in a cool, dry place for up to six months, feeding it occasionally with rum or brandy.

On Christmas day, steam the pudding in the same way for one to two hours before serving it.

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.

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 70g worth and blend them in a food processor until finely chopped.

Any leftover 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 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.

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.

More Vegan Christmas Recipes:

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Vegan Christmas Pudding

Vegan Christmas pudding - this vegan version of the classic British steamed Christmas pudding is rich, moist, fruity and boozy 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.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword pudding

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 5 hours

Soaking Time: 12 hours

Servings 8 people

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

150 g (5.3oz) raisins
100 g (3.5oz) currants
100 g (3.5oz) chopped dried dates
100 g (3.5oz) chopped dried apricots
4 Tbsp brandy/rum/sherry
finely grated zest and juice of 1 medium orange
1 medium cooking apple (about 220g unpeeled weight) (Bramley is best) peeled, cored and grated
100 g (3/4 cup + 2Tbsp) self-raising flour
70 g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs*
100 g (1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar
1 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin spice)
75 g (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp) melted refined coconut oil
3 Tbsp aquafaba (the liquid drained from a tin of chickpeas)
2 Tbsp non-dairy milk
40 g (1.4oz) chopped almonds (optional)

Instructions

You need to start making this vegan Christmas pudding the day before you want to steam it as the fruit needs to soak overnight. Mix together the raisins, currants and chopped dried dates and apricots with the rum/brandy/sherry and the orange zest and juice. Cover and leave to soak overnight. I give it a stir every now and again to ensure that the fruit is equally coated.
The next day, stir the peeled, cored and grated cooking apple into the fruit mixture.
Next, stir in the self-raising flour, fresh breadcrumbs, light brown soft sugar and mixed spice followed by the aquafaba, melted refined coconut oil, non-dairy milk and chopped almonds.
Grease a 1.2 - 1.4 litre pudding basin and place a disc of baking parchment in the bottom to prevent the top of the pudding from sticking. Put the kettle on.
Spoon the pudding mixture into the greased basin and pack it down firmly then level the top. It is ok if the mixture comes almost all the way up to the top of the basin as it doesn't rise much but make sure that there is at least a centimetre gap at the top.
Make a fold in the middle of a square of baking parchment and the same again in a square of tin foil. Place the baking parchment on top of the pudding basin with the fold 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.
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 (it will do the pudding no harm to leave it to cook for a bit longer than that). Check every now and again to see if the water needs topping up but resist the urge to take the lid off the pan too often.
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 should come out clean.
Once the pudding is done steaming, remove it from the pan and leave it to cool then remove the baking parchment and tin foil and replace them with fresh ones. Store in a cool, dry place for up to six months, feeding it occasionally with rum or brandy.
On Christmas day, steam the pudding in the same way for 1-2 hours before serving it. See instructions in the post above for how to flame it.

Recipe Notes

For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely and read the post above for all of the tips and information. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
*To make fresh breadcrumbs simply remove the crusts from a couple of slices of slightly stale white bread, weigh out 70g worth and blend them in a food processor until finely chopped.
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.

Vegan Coffee And Walnut Cake

October 15, 2019 by hannahhossack Leave a Comment

Vegan coffee and walnut cake – this easy coffee and walnut traybake cake is deliciously soft and moist. Topped with a cloud of light and fluffy coffee buttercream this is the perfect cake for serving a crowd. Post sponsored by Pyrex.

Coffee and walnut cake is an absolute classic British cake. No tearoom worth their salt would neglect to have a coffee and walnut cake on offer!

I think that this vegan sheet cake version is just as good as the original. The cake is soft and moist with plenty of coffee flavour, and the buttercream is light and fluffy and also packs a coffee flavour punch!

Due to the amount of coffee in this cake I think that it is best eaten in the morning or afternoon, not in the evening. I would also recommend swapping for a decaf coffee if you would like to make this cake with children.

I used Pyrex’s new Magic Metal range 23×30 cm roasting tin to make this cake. Their excellent quality roasting tins aren’t just good for cooking a roast dinner, they are also the perfect size and shape for baking sheet cakes!

While Pyrex may be best known for their reliable heat-resistant glassware, their metal bakeware lives up to the same high-quality standards.

The carbon steel Magic Metal bakeware range is non-stick, oven safe up to 230°C, dishwasher safe and comes with a five year guarantee!

I also used their Expert bowl and glass jugs to do all of the cake prep. Pyrex products are my go-to when it comes to baking as they are just so sturdy and practical!

If you want to get your hands on any of the excellent Magic Metal range it is available from Argos.

How To Make Vegan Coffee And Walnut Cake:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

Start by greasing your 30x23cm roasting tin and lining it with baking parchment. Make sure that it comes above the top of the tin to make it easy to lift the cake out once it is baked.

Whisk together softened vegan block butter and light brown soft sugar with an electric mixer for a good few minutes until it is very light and fluffy. The Pyrex Expert mixing bowl is perfect for making cake batter in!

Next add non-dairy yogurt (plain soy is best), non-dairy milk (again, I favour soy milk for baking), vanilla extract, self-raising flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and instant espresso powder.

Whisk gently until everything is well combined but take care not to over-mix the batter as that can make the cake tough. Fold through some roughly chopped walnuts.

Transfer the batter to your prepared tin, spread it level and bake in a preheated oven for around 25-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin then carefully lift it out using the baking parchment and place on a serving platter.

To make the coffee buttercream, whisk together softened vegan block butter and vegetable shortening until they are well combined. Make sure that there are no lumps at this stage.

Mix together instant espresso powder and a little non-dairy milk to make a paste. Add the coffee paste to the butter mixture along with sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract.

Whisk on a high speed for a good few minutes until the buttercream is very light and fluffy.

If it is too thick you can whisk in a little extra milk, ½ tsp at a time. And if it is too soft you can either whisk in more sifted icing sugar or pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up a bit.

Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake and decorate as you like with chopped walnuts, cacao nibs and chocolate coffee beans.

How Long Will It Keep?:

Once decorated, this vegan coffee and walnut cake will keep for around five days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Can I Freeze It?:

Yes, the cooled, un-iced cake can be wrapped and frozen whole for up to three months.

What If I Want To Make A Coffee And Walnut Layer Cake Instead?:

If you want to make a coffee and walnut layer cake rather than a tray bake then this recipe can be baked in two 23cm/9inch round cake tins instead (you can get away with 20cm/8inch ones if they are deepish)

They will probably take a little less time to cook so start checking on them after 20 minutes.

The buttercream quantity should still be the right amount to fill and top a two layer cake.