Vegan / Gluten Free Christmas Pudding

Ingredients

• 100g Clear Honey
• 50g Cocoa Powder or raw cacao powder
• 150g Wilson’s Coconut Oil softened
• 150g Dried Apricots roughly chopped
• 75g Goji Berries or dried cranberries
• 150g Hazelnuts roughly chopped
• 300g Peanut Butter or almond butter
• 150g Pistachio Nuts shelled and roughly chopped
• 1 large Orange finely grated, zest only

For The Topping:

• 75g Cacao Butter
• 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 75g Peanut Butter or almond butter
• 1 portion Redcurrants optional

Method

Mix the nut butter, Wilson’s Coconut Oil and honey in a large bowl and stir together until smooth and well blended. Reserve 1 tablespoon of each of the nuts and dried fruits for decorating, then add the rest to the bowl. Add the cocoa powder and orange zest and stir everything together well.

Line a 1L bowl with a double layer of cling film, leaving the excess hanging over the edges. 

Spoon the mixture into your lined bowl, smoothing the top level with the back of a spoon. Cover with the excess cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, until set firm.

The Topping:

Put the cacao butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water or heat in 30-second blasts in the microwave, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove and add the nut butter and maple syrup and stir together until well blended. Leave to cool and thicken slightly.

Take your pudding out the fridge, bring to room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes or until soft enough to remove from the bowl easily.     

Turn the pudding out onto a cake stand or serving plate. Spoon the topping over and immediately sprinkle over the reserved nuts and dried fruit.

If you like redcurrants, then put a string of redcurrants on top to decorate.

The topping should set firm almost straight away against the cold of the pudding.

Note: If any pieces are left over after serving, store them between sheets of baking paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.