A Warm, Spicy Twist on a Holiday Classic – Made Just for One (or Four)**
If you’ve ever wished your favourite gingerbread cookie and your favourite Christmas pudding would just get married already, today is your day. This Gingerbread & Pear Christmas Pudding is warm, cosy, gently spiced, and just the right amount of nostalgic. It feels like Christmas at your nan’s place… if your nan also baked artisanal gingerbread on weekends and secretly had a pear orchard.
In true Plan4One style, we’re keeping it small-batch, beginner-friendly, and totally doable in an afternoon. This recipe makes four mini puddings, which is perfect for gifting, sharing, or keeping all for yourself (look, no judgement — it’s Christmas). And if you want to make just one? Or enough for the entire extended family who keep “just popping in”? Don’t worry — you’ll find scaling tips below.
As always, this recipe suits time-poor solo cooks, uses supermarket ingredients, and doesn’t ask you to soak fruit for 36 days or borrow a pudding basin from someone’s great aunt.
Let’s pudding.
⭐ Why This Pudding Works (Nutritionally & Flavour-wise)
While Christmas puddings are about joy, flavour, and maybe a smidge of brandy, this little number manages to sneak in some nutrients too:
- Pears bring fibre and natural sweetness (your gut bacteria will be singing carols).
- Ginger helps tame inflammation and settle cranky tummies.
- Mixed spice + cinnamon add antioxidants and help keep blood sugar more stable than the average Christmas spread.
- Olive oil keeps things moist while adding heart-friendly fats.
This pudding sits deliciously between classic comfort and nutritionally respectable — exactly where Plan4One likes to live.
🎁 Ingredients (Serves 4)
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup mixed dried fruit
- 1 small ripe pear, peeled and finely diced
- ¾ cup self-raising flour
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Wet ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or melted butter)
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- ¼ cup milk
- Zest of ½ orange (optional, but magical)
To finish
- A little extra golden syrup to brush on top
- Whipped cream, custard, or vanilla yoghurt for serving
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions (Beginner-Friendly)
1. Prep your gear
Grease four small ramekins or pudding moulds. Cut little circles of baking paper to line the bottoms if you want extra non-stick insurance.
2. Mix the fruit + pear
In a bowl, combine the mixed dried fruit and diced pear. The pear will keep everything moist and fragrant.
3. Add your dry ingredients
Stir in the flour, breadcrumbs, spices, and brown sugar. Give it all a good toss so the fruit is coated — this helps it stay evenly distributed.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients
In a separate jug, combine the egg, olive oil, golden syrup, milk, and zest. Your kitchen will start smelling suspiciously festive already.
5. Combine wet and dry
Pour the wet mix into the dry bowl and stir until just combined. The batter should be thick and spoonable.
6. Fill and cover
Divide the mixture evenly across your ramekins. Cover each tightly with foil (shine side down).
7. Steam your puddings
Place the ramekins in a large pot lined with a small tea towel (to stop rattling). Pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides.
Steam 45–50 minutes, covered, on medium-low heat.
8. Serve warm
Brush with a little warm golden syrup and serve with your festive accompaniment of choice. The pear will be soft, the spices cozy, and the overall effect… extremely giftable.
🧊 Storage, Reheating & Make-Ahead Tips
- Fridge: Keeps 3–4 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Wrap individually and freeze up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Microwave 30–45 seconds until steaming.
- Make ahead: Perfect for batch-making and gifting — they taste even better the next day.
🔁 Scaling Up or Down
- Single serve: Make a quarter batch and cook in one ramekin for 35–40 minutes.
- Big batch gifting: Double or triple the mixture and steam for 55–65 minutes depending on ramekin size.
- One large pudding: Steam in a 600–700ml basin for ~1 hour 20 minutes.
🔄 Easy Ingredient Swaps
- Swap pear for apple if pears are pricey or underripe.
- Swap golden syrup for maple for a softer sweetness.
- Swap dried fruit for dried cranberries for a more modern flavour.
- Add chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
🍽️ Serving Ideas for One (Or Four)
- With vanilla custard if you’re feeling nostalgic.
- With Greek yoghurt if you want a lighter option.
- With brandy cream if you want to feel like you’re in a Dickens novel.
❤️ Before You Go…
If you enjoyed this festive little pudding, you’ll love the rest of the Christmas Pudding Mini-Series. Don’t forget to comment, share, or subscribe so you don’t miss the next recipe — perfect for solo cooks, gift-givers, and anyone who believes Christmas food should always come in miniature form.
