RECIPES

MacNean Special Plum Pudding

Another Auntie Maureen classic! This pudding is a dense, rich and utterly mouth-watering dessert. In fact it’s so rich that I serve it with lightly whipped cream and not the traditional Brandy Butter. Of course you can serve it with either.

Ingredients
150 g / 6 oz raisins
150 g / 6 oz sultanas
50 g / 2 oz currants
½ small grated carrot
½ diced
50 g / 2 oz mixed peel
½  teaspoon mixed spice
50 g / 2 oz chopped almonds
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
50 g / 2 oz flour
150 g / 6 oz breadcrumbs
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
150 g / 6 oz butter, melted
2 eggs
150 g / 6 oz soft brown sugar
10 fl oz Guinness
200 ml / 8 fl oz whipped cream

Method
Plum Pudding
Sift together flour, mixed spice, nutmeg and cloves. Add breadcrumbs, raisins, sultanas, peel, almonds, apple, grated carrot and rind and juice of lemon and melted butter.  Beat eggs and gradually add to mixture with Guinness.  Mix thoroughly, cover with tea towel and leave overnight. Next day, place the mixture in 2 prepared 2 pint pudding bowls. Cover with greased paper and lid.  Stand bowl in a large cake tin and fill the tin ¾ full of boiling water. Cover completely with foil. 

Bake in a hot oven at 150°C / Gas 2 for 6-8 hours. Or you can steam for 6 hours in the usual way. Cool, cover again with greaseproof paper and store in a cool dry place. On Christmas day cover again with greased greaseproof paper and lid.  Steam for 2-3 hours. 

To Serve
In a bowl or on a plate, with a dollop of lightly whipped cream

Tip
If you must light the Pudding, do please be careful with the amount of alcohol you pour on. I find that 1 tbsp of heated brandy works a just fine.

MacNean Traditional Christmas Cake

This is a very special recipe that has been handed down the Maguire family for generations. My Auntie Maureen from Ballymahon, was kind enough to let me share this with you all and I hope your family enjoy it as much as we do every Christmas.

Ingredients
225 g / 8 oz butter
350 g / 14 oz raisins
225 g / 8 oz soft brown sugar
350 g / 14oz sultanas
250 g / 10 oz plain flour
150 g / 6 oz currants
6 eggs
100 g / 4 oz cherries
Grated rind ½ lemon
100 g / 4 oz mixed peel, homemade or similar
50 g / 2 oz grated apple
50 g / 2 oz chopped almonds
½ tsp nutmeg, grated
50 g / 2 oz chopped almonds
¼ teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
5 fl oz whiskey
50 g / 2 oz apricots, ready to eat
50 g / 2 oz ground almonds

Method
Prepare 9” round cake tin by lining with 2 layers of greaseproof paper extending 5 cm / 2” over top of the tin. Tie a double band of brown paper around the outside of the tin.
Prepare fruit and mix it with spices, nuts, lemon rind and ½ of whiskey. Cover bowl with a tea-towel and leave overnight.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs and sieved flour and beat until well mixed. Fold in prepared fruit and ground almonds. Mix well. Put mixture into prepared tin and smooth with back of spoon leaving slightly hollow in the centre.

Preheat oven 140°C / Gas 1 and bake the cake for 3-3½ hours, or until cooked. Protect top of cake from over browning by covering with brown paper for last 1½ hours. Oven temperature varies so check after 1½-2 hours.

Cool cake in tin standing on wire tray until next day. Turn it out and remove paper. Using a skewer make small holes and pour remainder of whiskey. Wrap cake in 2 sheets of greaseproof paper, then a layer of foil. Store in an airtight tin in a cool place until ready for icing.

Tip
I haven’t included icing in this recipe, because personally I like my cake plain. However there are so many different types of icing around fondant, royal etc. I’ll leave you to choose your own favourite.