A vegan twist on the classic Christmas Pudding with a drool-worthy chocolate orange flavour! This can also be cooked and reheated in the microwave for a quick treat.
Christmas pudding is definitely a "Love it or hate it" thing.
Stir Up Sunday, for those who don't know, is a British tradition for making the Christmas pudding.
And with that event coming up on the 22nd, I decided to create something that even some Christmas pudding-haters will love...
My first thought was "Add chocolate!!!" and to make it even more festive, I paired it with orange to create a Chocolate Orange Vegan Christmas Pudding.
How can anyone not love this combination?
Tools you'll need
- 1 litre pudding basin/tin
- A large pot - Large enough to comfortable sit the basin inside
- A small trivet - This will sit underneath the basin, inside the pot. You can also make use over other kitchen tools/accessories, such as a small heat-proof lid or upside down bowl.
- Greaseproof paper
- Tin foil
- String
- Scissors
Ingredients
- Oil - Mild vegetable oil for the cake and for greasing
- Flour
- Cornflour (cornstarch) - or arrowroot powder.
- Baking powder
- Dark brown sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Breadcrumbs - I use fresh white breadcrumbs in this recipe
- Spices - Including cinnamon and mixed spice
- Orange - Zest and juice of a fresh orange and some natural orange flavouring, if you can get hold of some.
- Mixed dried fruit and peel - Soaked in brandy! Plus some dates.
- Chocolate chips - Dark or dairy-free chocolate chips or broken chocolate bars
FAQ
Yes! I love making this in the microwave for a quick treat. Simply divide the batter into 4 microwave-safe mugs or containers and cook at 600W for approximately 3-4 minutes.
Please note: These timings are based on splitting the batter into 4 portions. Larger portions will take longer.
For steaming: Follow the same instructions as cooking but for 45 minutes.
For the microwave: Cook at 600W for 5 minutes.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Orange Vegan Christmas Pudding
A Christmas pudding even Christmas pudding-haters will love! A non-traditional Chocolate Orange Christmas Pudding that's vegan friendly too.
You will need a 1 litre pudding basin/tin, a pot large enough for the pudding basin, greaseproof paper, tin foil, string and scissors.
Ingredients
- 60 ml / 2 fl oz (¼ cup) vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 60g / 2 oz (scant 1⁄2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 120 g / 4 1⁄4 oz (heaped 1⁄2 cup) dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 150 g / 5 1⁄2 oz (3 cups) fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1⁄2 tsp ground mixed spice (apple pie spice)
- 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges (about 100 ml / 3 1⁄2 fl oz (scant 1⁄2 cup) orange juice)
- 1 tsp natural orange extract
- 350 g / 12 oz (heaped 2 1⁄2 cups) mixed dried fruit and peel, soaked in 4 tbsp brandy overnight
- 100 g / 3 1⁄2 oz (3⁄4 cup) pitted dates, chopped
- 100 g / 3 1⁄2 oz (2⁄3 cup) dark chocolate chips
For the chocolate sauce
- 100 g / 3 1⁄2 oz dark or dairy- free chocolate
- 2 tbsp dairy-free milk
Instructions
Before you start
- Grease a 1 litre/35fl oz (1 quart) pudding basin with the oil and place a circle of greaseproof paper at the bottom.
To prepare the pudding mixture
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornflour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder, breadcrumbs, spices and orange zest.
- Whisk the orange juice, oil, orange extract and 80ml/21⁄2fl oz (1⁄3 cup) water together in a small jug.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold in the soaked dried fruits, dates and the chocolate chips. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pudding basin.
To steam the pudding
- Cut a large square of greaseproof paper and another of foil, both slightly bigger than the basin. Place the foil over the paper and make a 2.5cm/1in thick fold in the centre of both layers. Place on top of the pudding basin, paper-side down, and fasten securely with a piece of string around the basin, under the lip.
- Tie another piece to this one, run it across the top of the basin and tie the other end to the string on the opposite side of the basin to create a handle, so that you can easily lift the pudding out of the pan.
- Place a trivet or upturned saucer at the bottom of the large pan and place the pudding basin on top. Fill the pan with hot water, so that it comes about two-thirds of the way up the pudding basin. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a gentle simmer, then let it steam for 31⁄2 hours, checking occasionally and topping up the water if needed so it doesn’t boil dry.
- After 31⁄2 hours, lift the pudding out of the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes, until the pudding starts to shrink away from the basin. Carefully, using a palette knife, loosen the pudding from the sides and turn over onto a plate.
To serve
- Make the quick chocolate sauce. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and add a few drops of milk to loosen it into a pourable consistency. Pour over the pudding, to serve.
Notes
You can store the pudding in its basin and covered with foil, for up to a year in a cool dark place. To reheat the pudding, steam in the same way for 45 minutes, or microwave for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 428Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 1mgSodium 215mgCarbohydrates 78gFiber 5gSugar 39gProtein 4g
Maya says
Hello!
I adore this recipe and it has always been a hit on the omnivore Christmas table, I've made this for a number of years in a row now.
Question: - How far in advance can I reasonably make this? Is it possible to make it on 1st December, steam it and feed the pudding until the 25th and resteam it then?
Thanks!
Aimee says
Hi Maya, sorry I wasn't able to answer sooner as some comments accidentally went into my spam folder! This won't be any use to you now... but yes, you can prepare a couple of weeks in advance and frozen. Thaw 24 hours before the day and reheat as per instructions. Hope it worked out well for you :)
adele says
Hi Aimee,
just to let you know the chocolate and orange pudding was fab thank you and not as heavy as an ordinary pudding.
adele says
Hi
A quick question: is it still possible to make this today/tomorrow and still be ok for this Christmas Day this year? thanks jo.
Aimee says
Hi Adele, definitely! I have made it and served it on the same day before :-) Hope you enjoy it.
Roberta says
This is delicious! A lifesaver for a family with egg, dairy and nut allergies. Thank you
Aimee says
So pleased you like the taste, Roberta! Thanks for the comment.
Donna says
Hi, this recipe looks amazing and I'm keen to try it for Christmas this year but I'm confused about the dry ingredients. In the ingredient list you have plain flour, cornflour and baking powder. In the method step 3 you have flour, arrowroot, baking powder and xantham gum. I'm assuming that gluten free instructions have accidentally been included but just want to make sure. Thanks
Aimee says
Hi, I'm sorry about this! The recipe was published in my cookbook and I updated it to reflect the more simple instructions from there but forgot to tweak that part in the instructions. Oops. But arrowroot is interchangeable with cornflour (which I figured is easier to find) and it turns out the xanthum gum wasn't necessary, upon further testing. So it's still the same recipe, just simplified wording. I've updated the recipe now and apologise for the confusion. Hope you get to try this for Christmas, It's well worth it :-)