Ingredients
- 400g dried cherries, chopped
- 150g dried apricots, diced
- 125g raisins
- 100g mixed peel
- 125ml dark rum
- 125ml sweet sherry
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g brown sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 tsp natural vanilla paste
- 2 Tbsp Dutch cocoa powder
- 200g breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¾ cup plain flour
- 125ml milk
Instructions
1 Combine the dried fruit in a bowl and pour in the rum and sherry. Mix well, then cover and refrigerate for one week.
2 Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 5 minutes, until very light. Add the eggs and yolks and continue beating for 2 more minutes. Pour in the vanilla and cocoa, then beat until smooth.
3 Beat in the breadcrumbs, then sift in the spices and flour. Stir until smooth, then spoon into a well-greased 1.25L pudding basin. Cover with a piece of non-stick baking paper and secure with a length of kitchen string. Set on a trivet in a large saucepan of simmering water and cook for 3 hours, topping up the water as needed, so that the water level is always ¾ of the way up the sides of the basin.
4 Unmould and serve with custard.
Note: This pudding can be made up to a week in advance, then rewarmed in the bowl in water, o microwaved on low power. If you do not have a full week available to soak the fruit, a good result can still be achieved by leaving the fruit mixture at room temperature for 24 hours.