“Oh, bring us some figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us some figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.”
- From the Christmas classic, We Wish You a Merry Christmas
But what IS figgy pudding, exactly?
It’s a little bit cake, it’s a little bit pudding, it’s a little bit booze. This spice cake-like souffle made with figs and walnuts brings out the curiosity in many around the holiday season. Known to most of us from the song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, Figgy Pudding is a Christmas pudding that goes back to the 16th century. Popular in England, it became a hit in that country because of the abundance of fig trees in the region. Many versions of this fruitcake-like dessert are made with rum or other combinations of liquor.
Don’t wait for someone to bring you some Figgy Pudding – you can make some of your own! Here’s a non-alcohol version of the recipe found at www.suite101.com: (We are not affiliated with this site.)
Things You’ll Need
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) of butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup molasses
- 3 cups dried figs
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Making the Figgy Pudding
- Chop the walnuts roughly.
- Remove the stems from the figs and chop those roughly as well.
- Grate the fresh spices including the nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon peel so that they are ready for mixing.
- In an electric mixer, mix the butter until it is nice and fluffy in texture.
- Add the molasses and eggs and beat the mixture again until well mixed.
- Combine the figs, lemon peel, raisins, buttermilk and walnuts into the butter molasses and egg mixture. Blend this together again until well mixed.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients which include the baking soda, baking flour, flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Blend one final time until everything is mixed together well.
- Pour this mixture into a greased and floured dish that measures 8 inches 4 inches by 2 inches.
- Place the pan in the oven at 315 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (This will be an hour to 75 minutes depending on the altitude.)
- Spoon the pudding onto plates and serve at the very end of the Christmas meal.
Enjoy!