Sixmas Course 5 – Last Minute Christmas Puddings

Course 5 – Last Minute Christmas Puddings, with a naughty chocolate sauce!

You’re granny will have told you that you should have baked your Christmas puds months ago and let them mature under the bed.  She’s probably right but just in case you didn’t, here’s a super-fast recipe for a last minute Christmas dessert that’s part pudding and part cake.  It has all the ingredients; fruits, candied peel, nuts and of course booze, it’s just a lot lighter than the more traditional puddings.  Plus it’s served with a very naughty chocolate sauce laced with grand-mariner for that special chocolate-orange hit.

I’m using some adorable mini-bundt cake silicone moulds but it can easily be baked in a small loaf tin and sliced for serving.

for the cake

225g butter – room temperature

• 22gg caster sugar
• 3 large free-range eggs – beaten
• 100g self raising flour
• 75g wholemeal flour
• 75g ground almonds
• 50g dried mixed fruit and candied peel (these usually come in a mixed bag)
• 50g walnuts – finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla paste
• the juice and finely grated zest of one orange

for the chocolate grand-mariner sauce

• 200g dark chocolate – chopped
• 240ml double cream
• 2 large nobs of butter
• 3 tablespoons of grand marnier or other liquor of your liking

Start with the cake – I’m using some fancy little silicone bundt moulds but you could use buttered ramekins or a 2lb loaf tin which you should grease and line with parchment paper.  Pre-heat the oven to 180C

It’s an all in one cake and the only thing that really matters here is that your butter is very soft, so ensure you leave it out the night before making the cake.  Place all the ingredients except the liquor, into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat well for about 5 minutes until it’s blended. Then add as much Grand Marnier as you can handle and beat in again. Spoon the mixture into your cake tins and bake for 25 minutes or until it’s gloriously golden. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, to make the nasty chocolate sauce, heat the cream in a pan and when it’s hot (but not boiling) take it off the heat and add the chocolate and butter to it.  Stir well until the chocolate has melted, then add a generous glug of Grand Marnier and stir in

Serve one per person, or a slice each, with the hot sauce (this can be kept warm on the hob or by a fire.)

My Sixmas Dinner so far:

• Course 1 –  The Christmas Spritz
• Course 2 – Chestnut and Mushroom Soup
• Course 3 – Smoked Salmon Terrine
• Course 4 – The Main Event
• Course 5 – Mini Christmas Cakes with naughty chocolate sauce
• Course 6 – Champagne Marmalade Trifle

Eat and of course, enjoy!