Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas pudding is a light steamed sponge with bay leaves, maple syrup and ground cloves, served with whiskey cream and flambéed at the table. Steams in 1½ hours, serves 6.
This comes from Christmas with Gordon, where Ramsay writes “I find this is much more popular than the traditional heavily fruited Christmas pudding, and the whiskey cream is irresistible.” He filmed the same recipe with his mum on YouTube, where she helps him fold the batter while he tells her “there’s only one way and that is my way.”
The bay leaves are the unexpected bit. Ramsay presses three into the bottom of the basin with maple syrup before spooning in the batter, so they perfume the sponge from underneath as it steams. In Ultimate Home Cooking he explains why this works: bay leaves have a “slightly medicinal flavour” that pairs “surprisingly well” with sweet custards and puddings.
Gordon Ramsay Christmas Pudding
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes1
hour30
minutes520
kcal105
minutesA light steamed sponge from Christmas with Gordon, flavoured with bay leaves, ground cloves and orange zest, served with whiskey cream spiked with Irish cream liqueur. Make it ahead and reheat by steaming for 40 minutes on the day.
Ingredients
- For the pudding:
210g (7½ oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp maple syrup, plus extra to drizzle
3 bay leaves
210g (7½ oz) light brown soft sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
100g (3½ oz) self-raising flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of fine sea salt
- For the whiskey cream:
150ml (⅔ cup) double cream (heavy cream)
Dash of whiskey, to taste
Dash of Irish cream liqueur, to taste
Directions
- Prepare the basin: Grease a 1.2 litre pudding basin with butter. Scatter the orange zest in the bottom, pour the maple syrup on top, then press the bay leaves into the centre.
- Make the batter: Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and light. Slowly add the beaten eggs on low speed, making sure each addition is mixed in before adding the next. Sift in the flour, baking powder, ground cloves and salt, then fold through with a large metal spoon.
- Fill and cover: Spoon the mixture into the basin. Lay a buttered and pleated sheet of greaseproof paper on top, buttered side down, then cover with pleated foil. Tie tightly with string under the rim.
- Steam: Stand the basin on a trivet or upturned ramekin in a large saucepan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up the side. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 1½ hours, topping up with boiling water every 30 minutes.
- Make the whiskey cream: Whisk the cream with a dash of whiskey and Irish cream liqueur to soft peaks.
- Unmould and serve: Insert a skewer into the middle to check it comes out clean. Loosen the sides, invert a warmed plate over the basin and turn out. Glaze with extra maple syrup if you like. To flambé, warm a little whiskey in a small pan, ignite it and pour over the pudding at the table.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay use bay leaves in a pudding?
Bay leaves are usually in stews and soups, but Ramsay uses them in desserts across several books. In Ultimate Home Cooking he writes that their “slightly medicinal flavour works surprisingly well in sweet custards.” Here they sit in maple syrup at the bottom of the basin, so as the pudding steams the flavour rises through the sponge. You eat around them, not through them.
Can you make this ahead and reheat on Christmas Day?
Yes, and Ramsay’s own time plan in the book says to do exactly that. Make and steam the pudding in advance, let it cool completely, then re-cover with fresh paper and foil. On Christmas Day, steam again for 40 to 45 minutes to reheat.
The whiskey cream keeps in the fridge overnight. If you want another make-ahead dessert for Christmas, his sticky toffee pudding also reheats well. You can compare all his pudding recipes to plan the rest of the menu.
Why is this different from traditional Christmas pudding?
Traditional Christmas pudding uses dried fruit soaked in alcohol, suet, breadcrumbs and treacle, steamed for 6 or more hours. Ramsay’s version skips all of that. No fruit, no suet, no overnight soaking. It’s a butter sponge with spice, steamed for 1½ hours.
He says in the book that this lighter version is “much more popular” because after a full Christmas dinner with turkey and all the trimmings, nobody wants a heavy slab of dark pudding.
What does the flambé actually do?
Mostly drama. Ramsay says on the YouTube video to warm the whiskey in a small pan first, then ignite it and pour over at the table. The flame burns for about 30 seconds and looks impressive, but most of the alcohol burns off. The real whiskey flavour comes from the cream, not the flambé.
