My finished Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding

As promised I share my finished Christmas cake with a very simple but effective decoration idea. I also make my first ever Christmas pudding with some guest helpers!
Hope you enjoy it. xx

Ingredients:
100g sultanas
100g raisins
100g currants
30g mixed candied peel, chopped
1 small cooking apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 oranges, zested and 1 juiced
2 lemons, zested
75ml brandy, whiskey or rum
100ml stout
2 eggs
100g shredded suet
50g self-raising flour
100g breadcrumbs
1tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g dark brown soft sugar
50g blanched almonds, chopped
butter, for the basin
triple sec, for lighting the pudding
brandy butter or custard, to serve
You'll also need
large slow cooker
1-litre pudding basin

Method
STEP 1
Tip the sultanas, raisins, currants and candied peel into the largest bowl you have. Add the apple, citrus zests, orange juice, brandy and stout. Stir everything together, cover with a clean tea towel and leave overnight to soak.

STEP 2
Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl along with ½ tsp salt and mix well to combine – don’t forget to make a wish! Set the slow cooker to low.

STEP 3
Butter the pudding basin and line the base with a circle of baking parchment. Spoon in the pudding mixture, pressing it down well, then make a gap in the middle using the back of the spoon. Cover the surface with another circle of baking parchment, then stack a sheet of parchment over a sheet of foil, fold a pleat in the middle and use this to cover the basin. Secure at the rim with kitchen string and add a looped handle. Carefully lower the basin into the slow cooker, then fill with water so it comes halfway up the sides of the basin. Cook for 10 hrs, topping up with water as necessary. Once cooked, remove the basin from the slow cooker and leave to cool completely before storing in a cool, dark place for up to six months.

STEP 4
On the day you’re ready to serve, return the pudding to the slow cooker set to low, and fill with water as before. Reheat for 4 hrs, then turn out onto a serving plate. Warm some triple sec in a small pan over a low heat, drizzle this over the pudding and carefully set alight. Serve with brandy butter or custard.