Self-rising flour — 1 cup
Baking powder — 1 teaspoon
Allspice — 1 hefty teaspoon
Butter — 2 ounces, softened (plus an extra tablespoon to butter the utility bowls)
Eggs — 2 large, beaten
Dark molasses — 1/3 cup
Irish stout, dark beer, or apple cider — 1/2 cup
Brandy, dark rum, or rum flavoring (or more cider) — 2 tablespoons
Mincemeat — 14 1/2 ounce jar
Granny Smith apple — 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced
Golden raisins — 6 ounces
Roasted hazelnuts — 1 ounce, chopped
Zest — of one orange and one lemon, grated

Sift the flour, baking powder, and allspice together into a large mixing bowl, then add the butter and eggs. Stir well to mix the ingredients.

Next add the molasses and the stout/dark beer/cider. Stir again to mix everything together well.

Finally add the diced apple, nuts, raisins, and mincemeat, plus the grated orange and lemon zest. Stir once more until the mixture is uniform.

Spoon the mixture into buttered utility bowls. Fill each bowl approximately 3/4 full. Do not overfill; the puddings will rise when cooking and you don't want to push the lids off.

Snap the plastic lids on the bowls. (If you don't have lids, seal each bowl with aluminum foil. The idea is to prevent boiling water from splashing into the puddings.)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Fill the shallow roasting pan with a half inch of boiling water. Place the bowls in the water "bath." Bake for 45-50 minutes. Be sure that the water in the pan does not boil away completely; add more boiling water if necessary. An easy way to test for "doneness" is to lift the lid and stick a wooden toothpick into the heart of the pudding. The toothpick will come out clean when the pudding is fully cooked.

Allow the puddings to cool, then unmold them by turning the utility bowls upside down.

Wrap the puddings in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to serve them.

You can warm them prior to serving in a microwave oven, or by returning them to their utility bowls and re-steaming them in a water filled roasting pan for 10-15 minutes.

Pippa often follows the British tradition of serving her plum puddings with Hard Sauce (see below).

Hard Sauce


Butter — 2/3 cup, softened
Vanilla extract — 2 teaspoons
Confectioners sugar — 2 cups
"Cream" the butter until light. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.