This is a lovely seasonal recipe inspired by the traditional Scottish Clootie Dumpling and the beautiful Autumn season. The apple cider clootie dumpling pudding is made with freshly grated apples and real apple cider mixed with dried fruit and my favourite Autumn spices.

This Scottish Apple Cider Clootie Dumpling pudding goes really well with warm custard or freshly whipped double cream. It stores well and also freezes so you can keep leftovers. The recipe inspiration came from the traditional Scottish clootie puddings made in a muslin cloth. They boil for several hours and always fill the home with lovely smells.

Althought these type of puddings are traditionally popular its not very common to make them in the family home these days due to modern living and time constraints but I think they deserve a special place in the family kitchen they are so delicious and unique in texture and flavour. If you have never tried one I would highly recommend giving it a go.

If you like puddings like this you may also enjoy making a Traditional Scottish Clootie Dumpling which our family would traditionally serve this around Christmas and Hogmany and slices of it would last in the freezer forever! Another favourite at this time of year is my Traditional Scottish Christmas trifle. It always goes down a treat with the family around and leading up to the Christmas period.

Tips for making this recipe:

This recipe is really simple to make and there are not many top tips for it but a couple of things I would like to mention are: Make sure your dough is not too wet and not too dry. It will expand in the cloth so don’t worry too much about cracks just form as even a ball as possible. It should be pretty loose though and not hold a perfectly round shape.
You need to leave room in the cloth for expansion of the pudding so please make sure you don’t tie your pudding cloth too tight. You need to keep some slack in the top of the pudding as per the video.
Serve it up immediately and save any leftovers in the fridge. You can also freezer leftovers in the freezer for future use. Defrost and warm in the oven.
Serve it up with custard or whipped double cream.

Apple Cider Clootie Pudding

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Equipment

large muslin cloth or similiar cloth
Natural string to tie the cloth

Ingredients

450g Self Raising Flour
240g Beef Suet
200g Raisins
170g Caster Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1tsp Cinnamon
1tsp Mixed Spice
1tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 Medium Apple
Cider Enough to make dough approx 1 bottle
Sprinkle of flour to cover cloth
Sprinkle of Sugar to sprinkle over pudding

Instructions

Place a large pan of water on the heat to boil and bring back down to a medium to high simmer.
Seive all the flour into a large mixing bowl and add in the suet, raisins, caster sugar, pinch of salt, and spices.
Mix dry ingredients through really well.
Add in the vanilla, grate the apple, add the eggs and mix through well.
Pour in a small amount of cider and start mixing through in your hands to create a dough.
Keep adding in small amounts of cider until a loose dough has formed. Nothing too stiff.
If you add too much cider add in a little flour to compensate. See video for exact dough texture.
Dip the cloth in the pan of hot water to soak and place in a bowl. (be careful)
Lay out the wet cloth across the counter as flat as you can and sprinkle with flour.
Lay the large dough ball you have created on top of the cloth.
Pull up the sides of the cloth and tie in a bundle at the top leaving space for the pudding to expand (see video).
Place a bowl right side up in the bottom of the pan of boiling water and place the pudding in on top of the bowl.
Lay the top of the cloth out over the pan and add the lid. Simmer the pudding on a medium to high heat for approx 3hrs.
Remove the pudding from the pan and place on a large plate.
Replace the hot water in the pan with cold and dip the pudding into the cold water and place back on the plate.
Untie the top of the cloth carefully and lay the sides down. Place a serving board on the top of the pudding.
Flip the pudding over so you have the smooth side up to serve.
Sprinkle with caster sugar all over the pudding and serve immediately.