Mini Christmas Puddings

Being German, the concept of Christmas Pudding used to puzzle me. First of all, the name is misleading for Germans ("pudding" for us means custard). Then, it contains suet and dried fruits. Not very appetising to me, at least back in my days as a student of English. Years later, I have learned to enjoy dried fruits (however, I'm still not using any suet) and I have decided to give Christmas Puddings a try after all.

My recipe is not quite traditional, as I substitute suet by butter and I add some dark cocoa for a bit of extra richness. Despite all of my idiosynracies in this recipe, I do follow tradition and steam my mini Christmas Puddings.

For 12-14 Mini Christmas Puddings you will need:

• 130g (4,6 oz) butter
• 130g (4,6 oz) dark brown sugar
• 130g (4,6 oz) dates
• 130g (4,6 oz) raisins
• 250g (8,8 oz) dried apricots
• 250g (8,8 oz) dried cranberries
• 200ml (6,7 oz) apple juice
• 20ml (1 tbsp) dark rum
• 2 eggs
• 130g (4,6 oz) flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp mixed spice

1. Finely chop the dried fruits and let them steep in apple juice and rum for about 2 hours, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.

2. At a low temperature, melt the butter in a small pan, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the soaked fruits and heat until there is no excess liquid.

3. In a big bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cocoa and mixed spice. Add the fruit mixture and combine.

4. Add the eggs and mix to combine thoroughly.

5. Preheat your oven to 170°C /340 F. Fill a big basin with boiling water.

6. Generously grease a muffin tin and lightly dust the moulds. Fill to the brim and tightly cover the muffin tin with a piece of buttered foil (buttered side down, of course), making sure it is waterproof.

7. Place the muffin tin in the water-filled basin and steam at 170°C / 340 F for about 40 minutes. Let your puddings cool a bit before removing them from the tin. Ideally served warm!