All through the year I am asked for auntie Maureen’s plum pudding recipe. I think it is the only recipe that I include here every year. It is tried and tested and, in my opinion, no one makes Christmas pudding as good as my auntie Maureen! We have made 150 of them for the restaurant this year. The key is the quality of the fruit. We get ours from Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh. Serve warm or cold with lashings of custard or whipped cream with a spoonful of brandy butter alongside. Make your pudding as soon as possible as the flavour only improves over time.

The same goes for the Christmas cake. Time allows the flavours to mature. If you are not going to make your own this year, I recommend the Dunnes Simply Better cake which is made by the superb Sam’s Cookies in Wicklow. If you have children in the house, you can have an afternoon of fun decorating the cake.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Auntie Maureen’s plum pudding

Makes two x 1.2 litre (2 pint) puddings

50g (2oz) plain flour

½ tsp ground mixed spice

½ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

225g (8oz) sultanas

175g (6oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

175g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs

175g (6oz) light brown sugar

175g (6oz) raisins

50g (2oz) currants

50g (2oz) candied mixed peel

50g (2oz) blanched almonds, chopped

½ apple, peeled, cored and diced

½ small carrot, grated

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Two eggs, lightly beaten

300ml (½ pint) stout

Icing sugar, to decorate (optional)

Custard or whipped cream, to serve

Dunnes Simply Better brandy butter

  • 1 Sift together the flour, mixed spice, cloves and nutmeg. Add the sultanas, melted butter, breadcrumbs, sugar, raisins, currants, mixed peel, almonds, apple, carrot and the lemon rind and juice and mix until well combined. Gradually add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly, followed by the stout. Mix everything thoroughly and cover with a clean tea towel, then leave in a cool place overnight.
  • 2 Use the fruit mixture to fill two 1.2-litre (2 pint) greased pudding bowls. Cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and tin foil, then tie tightly under the rim with string. Store in a cool, dry place.

  • 3 To cook, preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2). Stand each pudding bowl in a large cake tin three-quarters full of boiling water, then cook in the oven for six to eight hours (or you can steam them for six hours in the usual way). Cool and re-cover with clean greaseproof paper. Again, store in a cool, dry place.

  • 4 On Christmas Day, re-cover with greaseproof paper and foil. Steam for two to three hours, until completely cooked through and tender. Decorate with a light dusting of icing sugar, if liked.

  • 5 To serve, cut the plum pudding into slices and arrange on serving plates. Have a separate jug of the custard or a dish of whipped cream and another of brandy butter so that everyone can help themselves.

    • Christmas cake

    Makes 1 x 20cm (8in) cake

    225g (8oz) plain flour

    500g (18oz) dried fruits, such as sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel, ready-to-eat apricots or prunes

    finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

    175g (6oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

    175g (6oz) light brown sugar

    Four eggs, beaten

    1 tsp ground cinnamon

    ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

    100g (4oz) toasted flaked almonds

    1 x 250g (9oz) packet of golden marzipan

    2-4 tbsp whiskey or brandy

    450g (1lb) ready-to-roll fondant icing

    Cornflour, for dusting

    Holly leaves and berries, to decorate

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/gas mark 3). Line the base and sides of a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

  • 2 Sift the flour into a bowl and set aside. Chop up the dried fruit so that everything is equal in size and nothing is too large. Toss with the lemon rind and juice and set aside.
  • 3 Cream the butter and sugar together in a food mixer (or with a hand-held whisk) until pale and creamy. Add the eggs bit by bit with a little of the flour each time, beating after each addition. Add the remaining flour with the spices and fold through to combine. Add the dried fruit and lemon mixture with the flaked almonds, stirring well to combine.

  • 4 Finally, cut half of the marzipan into small cubes and gently fold it into the cake mixture. Using a spatula, transfer to the prepared tin and smooth down the top. Bake for about two hours, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove and place on a flat plate. Prick the surface with a fine skewer and spoon over the whiskey or brandy. Leave for one hour to allow the alcohol to soak in.
  • 5 When completely cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and then in foil. Leave in a cool, dry place to mature for at least two weeks or up to three months before applying the icing.
  • 6 About a week before the cake is required, cover the top with the remaining marzipan. Roll out the ready-to-roll icing on a clean work surface dusted with cornflour to a circle slightly larger than the top of the cake. Position on top of the marzipan, then smooth and neaten the edges. Decorate with the holly leaves and berries.

  • 7 To store for one to two days, secure a strip of foil around the exposed sides of the cake. Place the cake on a serving plate or cake stand and decorate with ribbons around the edge, if liked. Serve straight to the table.