Name: Gluten Free Christmas Pudding Cupcakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients: 30g mixed peel; 120g sultanas; 120g currants; 50g glace cherries; 60g raisins; Zest of 1 orange; 1 tsp mixed spice; 0.5 tsp cinnamon; 60ml brandy/port (replace with apple juice for a non alcoholic version); 2 large eggs; 90g gluten free self raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 75g ground almonds; 30g flaked almonds; 1 small cooking apple, peeled cored and grated; 90g butter, chilled; 120g dark brown sugar; 2 tsp milk; Green fondant icing; 6 glace cherries; 120g icing sugar; 15ml milk

Gluten Free Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

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These gluten free Christmas pudding cupcakes are bursting with festive spices and juicy dried fruit, topped with thick glace icing. Absolute delicious!

Their creation was a happy accident, while I was developing my gluten free Christmas pudding recipe. I ended up with some excess batter, so I baked it in cupcake moulds and these delicious little morsels were born.

My husband is a big fruit cake fan and he absolutely loves these, so I quickly got to repeat the bake and note down my method so I could share with you all.

They keep really well, so bake a batch and enjoy at a leisurely pace in the run up to Christmas. They will also freeze well if you want to make ahead, although I would suggest adding the icing and decorations after defrosting, to ensure you don’t get any colours running

What Flour Blend To Use

Any gluten free self raising flour blend should work nicely, or a cup-for-cup or all purpose blend plus 1 extra tsp baking powder.

Can I Change Up the Dried Fruit?

Yes absolutely, use whichever dried fruits you prefer. My mix below is simply a suggestion and other lovely additions would include dried figs and apricots.

Storage

Once fully iced either enjoy straight away or store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. They should last for up to a week without drying out too much, if stored correctly. The high fruit content and ground almonds will help keep them nice and juicy inside.

Gluten Free Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

This recipe makes 12 gluten free Christmas pudding cupcakes. Simply half the quantities if you would like to make a smaller batch of 6.

You’ll find a full method below, with some photos under the recipe to help give you a visual guide. If you need any help along the way or if you have questions, please do message me on social media (@myglutenfreeguide) or email me at laura@mygfguide.com. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

If you enjoy this gluten free Christmas pudding cupcakes, please leave a review on the recipe card below. It makes a world of difference to me and it’s helpful for other readers.

Thank you! Laura xxx

Makes 12

Gluten Free Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Fun, festive little gluten free Christmas pudding cupcakes, packed with fruit and festive spices. A lovely bake to share with family and friends.

Ingredients

For the cake:

30g mixed peel
120g sultanas
120g currants
50g glace cherries
60g raisins
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp mixed spice
0.5 tsp cinnamon
60ml brandy/port (replace with apple juice for a non alcoholic version)
2 large eggs
90g gluten free self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
75g ground almonds
30g flaked almonds
1 small cooking apple, peeled cored and grated
90g butter, chilled
120g dark brown sugar
2 tsp milk

To decorate:

Green fondant icing
6 glace cherries
120g icing sugar
15ml milk

Instructions

Add the dried fruits, spices, orange zest and brandy/port/apple juice to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer over a low heat for a couple of minutes, to infuse the fruit.

While the fruit is infusing, preheat your oven to 160C (fan) and grease a 12-hole silicone muffin tray with butter*.

Transfer the fruit to a mixing bowl and add all the other cake ingredients, grating in the chilled butter using the coarse setting on a box grater (cheese grater). Mix really well to combine.

Divide the batter between the holes of the muffin tray and bake on the middle shelf for 45 minutes at 160C (fan).

Once baked, turn out onto a wire rack and leave the cool.

Meanwhile, make 24 little holly leaves out of the fondant icing (using a push n pop cutter or freestyling it) and slice the glace cherries in half.

When the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing by mixing the icing sugar and milk together until you have a smooth, stiff consistency.

Arrange the cupcakes upside down (wider on the bottom and narrower on the top) and spoon the icing onto them. Then add a glace cherry and two leaves to each cupcake and leave to set for a few minutes. Then tuck in and enjoy!

Notes

* If you don't have a silicone tray, use a conventional metal tray and muffin cases. You can then remove from the cases once baked and decorate per the recipe.