Vegan & Gluten Free Plum Pudding

Christmas! It's just around the corner, and I have just enough time to whip up a really good vegan gluten free plum pudding to age and it has actual plums in it...well...prunes. Sadly, many of the 'plum' puddings seen on supermarket shelves have no plums in them whatsoever (dare I say, not much fruit either!) Not to mention a great deal of suet...would you like some cow fat with your dessert? Erk. This has just as much flavour, cruelty free.  All the sweetness comes from the fruit, too. Don't tell anyone its vegan, just serve it and let everyone be none the wiser! The Beloved, once it was made, wanted to know when 'we' could eat it, and was very disappointed when I told him he would have to wait for Christmas! Sigh...

Ingredients

1 cup pitted prunes

1 cup mixed dried fruit with peel

ground cinnamon

ground ginger

1/2 cup re hydrated dried apricots pureed

1/2 cup apple juice

2/3 cup almond meal 

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup flaked almonds

2 tsp baking powder

40gr vegan butter or margarine

rum

Method

Chop prunes roughly, and put into a ceramic bowl with dried fruit and peel, spice, and at least 1/2 cup rum. Mix thoroughly, cover tightly with cling wrap and set aside for at least 3 days.

When fruit is ready to use, mix dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Add juice and melted butter, and pureed apricots. Mix well.

Add fruit and mix again.

Grease a pudding tin, and fill leaving about 1.5cm room at the top. Fit the lid, and put into a deep saucepan. Fill 1/2 way up the pudding tin with water, and put the saucepan lid on.  Allow to simmer for approximately 4 hours, checking the saucepan occasionally to ensure there is enough water -do NOT let it boil dry! Once cool, remove from tin and keep covered somewhere cool - in Australia I recommend the fridge! 

Over the next few weeks you can give the pudding another splash of rum when you remember to, just make sure you cover it well again when you are done. 

To reheat, steam again for 1- 2 hrs, or microwave for about 5 minutes. Serve with vegan custard of course!