Classic Christmas Pudding Recipe with a Cadbury Chocolate Upgrade

Christmas pudding feels like one of those desserts that’s tailor-made for winter. It’s dense, warm, and built for cold evenings. Traditionally, it’s a slow-steamed mix of dried fruit, spice, sweetness, and a little festive bravado.

But over the years, cooks everywhere have nudged it into something new. People are stirring in chocolate, cherries, or a creamy sauce until it finds that perfect balance between cozy nostalgia and modern indulgence. Our version with the Cadbury chocolate upgrade leans fully into that idea.

It’s still a Christmas pudding recipe, that’s dark, fruity, and a bit magical. But it gets a chocolate-forward twist inspired by classic chocolate puddings and those cheerful bite-sized festive treats that show up this time of year.

Ingredients: What You’ll Need for This Indulgent Bite

Here’s what you need to gather:

• 200 g of frozen dark cherries (thawed), plus a handful for garnish
• 1 ripe pear, grated
• 100 g raisins
• 100 ml of brandy
• 200 g of mixed dark + milk Cadbury chocolate
• 100 g of butter
• 2 large eggs
• 100 g of dark brown sugar
• 50 g of plain flour
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 50 g breadcrumbs, fresh
• 1 tsp of mixed spice

For the chocolate sauce:

Roughly 100–120 g of chocolate and 120 ml of cream. Along with that, a touch of syrup or brandy, if you like a warmer kick.

These ingredients mould beautifully into a chocolate-cherry Christmas pudding recipe while keeping the flavors balanced.

The Christmas Pudding Recipe: Fancy, Yet Easy-To-Follow

Step 1: Mix up the fruits

Mix your cherries, pear, raisins, and brandy in a big bowl. Let the fruit soak and soften for a few hours.

Tip: Are you short on time? If so, a brief warm-up in the microwave does the trick and helps everything plump up nicely.

Step 2: Fold in the chocolate

Melt the Cadbury chocolate with butter, then stir it through the warm fruit mixture. Once it cools slightly, whisk in the eggs, sugar, flour, cocoa, spice, and breadcrumbs. The batter should look dense, dark, and reassuringly imperfect.

Step 3: Steam your pudding

Spoon the mixture into a greased 1-liter pudding basin. Cover it with buttered baking paper and foil. Then, steam for about 2½ hours until it’s firm and set. After cooling completely, you can let it rest for a few days, if you have the time.

Storing:

To store for a few weeks, just make sure not to remove the foil. Also, you can keep it in a cool and dark place so it matures. And when it’s time to relish, just reheat in the microwave (5 mins) or steam for 30 mins.

The Chocolate Finish: Glossy, Silky, or Crispy

While your pudding can be prepared days ahead, the finishing touch of Cadbury chocolate is prepared fresh. This pudding loves a good topping, and chocolate offers three satisfying routes:

Creamy Chocolate-Brandy Sauce

Warm the chocolate with cream and a little syrup or brandy till it becomes velvety. You can then pour it generously over each slice.

Crispy Chocolate Bits

Scatter crisp chocolate pieces over the top for contrast. They bring a playful crunch that cuts through the warm pudding interior.

Self-Saucing Twist

If you prefer something more dramatic, you can use the self-saucing technique. It consists of pouring a hot cocoa-sugar mix over the batter before cooking, so it forms a molten sauce beneath the sponge.

Tips and Quick Variations

Some extra touches can further elevate the Christmas pudding recipe.

• If you want a bolder fragrance, you can let the fruit soak overnight.
• If you prefer extra texture, you can add finely chopped nuts. However, if you are serving your guests, ensure they are not allergic to nuts.
• To boost the chocolate depth, you can add 1 tsp instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients. It won’t taste like coffee and will simply deepen the chocolate flavor.
• To avoid your pudding from drying while steaming, keep the water at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.

Wrapping Up

This upgraded Christmas pudding recipe has its own charm. It honors the traditional flavors that everyone loves, but it also offers a rich, modern twist. The final result here is a festive dessert that you find familiar as well as just special enough to bring a little extra sparkle to the holiday table.