Christmas Pudding Calculator

This calculator scales a traditional British Christmas pudding recipe by basin volume. The base recipe is for a 1-litre pudding basin and the wet/dry ingredients are scaled linearly by volume (litres × number of puddings). Proportions follow classic UK recipes such as Delia Smith's "A Traditional Christmas Pudding" (her 2-pint/1.2L basin uses ~225g dark brown sugar and ~495g dried fruit), adapted to a per-litre base.

Base Recipe (1L Basin)

• 100g each: shredded suet, fresh breadcrumbs
• 180g dark brown sugar
• 400g mixed dried fruit (currants, sultanas, raisins, mixed peel)
• 50g self-raising flour, 5g mixed spice
• 2 large eggs, 30g black treacle, 75ml stout or ale

Steaming Guidelines

• Cover with greaseproof paper and foil with a pleat to allow expansion
• Steam over gently simmering water, topping up regularly — never let the pan boil dry
• Steaming time increases with basin size but sub-linearly (≈ square root of volume), because heat penetration is roughly diameter-limited. Times are calibrated against Nigella Lawson's published guidance (0.9L = 4 hours, 1.5L = 6 hours initial steaming).
• Re-steam for 2-3 hours on serving day to reheat right through

A steamed suet pudding is fully cooked when set firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Always reheat thoroughly so the centre is piping hot before serving.