Figgy Pudding (2024)

Never had figgy pudding? This is your year. The sweet treat is a deliciously traditional way to make the most of the holiday season. This festive recipe will have everyone demanding "now bring us some figgy pudding!"

What Is Figgy Pudding?

The British and American definitions of "pudding" are quite different. If you're from the U.S., you probably associate the word with a sweet, creamy, unformed dessert. People from the U.K, however, will likely think of a sweet or savory dish that may contain meat or animal fat.

There are plenty of variations of figgy pudding out there and they all involve fresh or dried figs.

Traditional versions of figgy pudding are steamed or boiled, but many modern recipes (including this one) are baked.

What Is Figgy Pudding Made Of?

Traditional figgy pudding is a holiday dish made with flour, suet (a type of hard animal fat), figs, and other dried fruits. Some more modern versions, like this one, are made without suet. Here's what you'll need for this top-rated figgy pudding recipe:

  • Buttermilk
  • Dried figs
  • Whole-wheat flour
  • Sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Spices and seasonings (cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt)
  • Eggs
  • Bread crumbs
  • Butter
  • Almonds
  • Orange marmalade
  • Orange zest
  • Orange-vanilla flavoring

Cook’s Note

Fiori di Sicilia is a floral orange flavoring used in Italian pandoro. Although not absolutely necessary for this recipe, I thought it added an exotic flavor to the dessert.

How to Make Figgy Pudding

Figgy pudding might sound fancy, but it's actually quite easy to make. You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this figgy pudding recipe:

  1. Heat the figs and buttermilk on the stove until the figs are soft.
  2. Sift the dry ingredients together.
  3. Beat the eggs, then stir in the cooled buttermilk mixture and the remaining ingredients.
  4. Gradually mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Stir until incorporated.
  5. Spoon the batter into a prepared tube pan.
  6. Bake until firm.
  7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"I followed the recipe exactly," says Karen Norris. "My family loved it. I flavored the heavy whipped cream with amaretto. This will definitely be a Christmas tradition from now on!"

"I will make it again at Christmas time," according to Wagner Teresa. "We did a test run yesterday and it was lovely. I made a brown sugar/butter/cream sauce to pour over a slice and it was a perfect match. A big glass of cold milk and you can not go wrong."

"So good," raves Catb. "Couldn't find orange oil so I just added more marmalade. Was devoured on Christmas Day, will definitely make it again and likely before Christmas!"

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Figgy Pudding (2024)

FAQs

What is the saying for figgy pudding? ›

Often associated with the original traditions of Christmas, it is most notably referred to in the Christmas carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in the lines "Now bring us some figgy pudding," "We all love our figgy pudding," and "We won't go until we get some!" Figgy pudding is not plum pudding, although it can be ...

What does "bring me some figgy pudding" mean? ›

" 'Figgy' — certainly at some time figs would have been incorporated into Christmas pudding recipes, but today, not traditionally." It's also a pudding in the British sense, meaning dessert — not the creamy, custardy dish most Americans associate with the word. It's a steamed cake full of raisins, currants and brandy.

Is it piggy or figgy pudding? ›

In its most basic form, figgy pudding is a steamed, domed-shaped cake baked in a water bath in the oven. It's made with alcohol and dried fruit and is a traditional English dessert. It's more like a cake than what Americans think of as a soft, custard-like pudding.

What is figgy pudding in the Christmas song? ›

Figgy pudding is a pudding in the British sense of the word, which means it is a steamed cakelike dessert. This particular Christmas version is traditionally made with suet (which is raw beef or mutton fat), eggs, brown sugar, breadcrumbs, spices, dried fruits and, last -- but certainly not least --- brandy.

What is the quote from fig pudding? ›

When someone you love dies, you get a big bowl of sadness put down in front of you, steaming hot. You can start eating now, or you can let it cool and eat it bit by bit later one. Either way, you end up eating the whole thing.

Why do they call it figgy pudding? ›

History of Figgy Pudding

Rather than creamy puddings and custards, which Southern cooks are familiar with, this Christmas pudding dates back to medieval England and is a steamed cake full of spices, raisins, and currants soaked in brandy. If it contains figs, it is called a figgy pudding.

Is figgy pudding spam real? ›

Spam Figgy Pudding is a thing that exists now. Reviews have been mixed. As the Thanksgiving and Christmas season returns to something like normalcy, perhaps it's time for new traditions. The mad scientists at luncheon meat packager Hormel have one idea: Spam Figgy Pudding.

Are there no figs in figgy pudding? ›

Figgy pudding is a cake that is either baked or steamed. It is actually a form of a plum pudding, neither of which has figs nor plums but is primarily made from raisins.

What's the difference between Christmas pudding and figgy pudding? ›

Figgy pudding is a specific type of Christmas or plum pudding that contains figs as a primary ingredient along with other dried fruits,” Heron says. “However, the name 'figgy pudding' doesn't always mean it exclusively contains figs. It could contain a variety of dried fruits in addition to or alongside figs.

What is figgy? ›

: containing or resembling figs.

Who served up figgy pudding in A Christmas Carol? ›

Mrs. Cratchit, Bob Cratchit's wife, serves figgy pudding in A Christmas Carol.

What is the pudding saying? ›

The proof is in the pudding is an expression that means the value, quality, or truth of something must be judged based on direct experience with it—or on its results. The expression is an alteration of an older saying that makes the meaning a bit clearer: the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

What is the Christmas pudding quote? ›

The Christmas Pudding Today

In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered: flushed, but smiling proudly: with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.

What is the meat pudding quote? ›

pudding!" Relive Pink Floyd's The Wall—one of the. trippiest movie-musicals ever made http://spoti.

What do Americans mean when they say pudding? ›

In the United States, pudding means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, instant custards or a mousse, often commercially set using cornstarch, gelatin or similar coagulating agent such as Jell-O.

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