Why it works: Currant and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,180 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, creamy. The science ↓
English Plum Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Combine 2 pounds sugar, 1 cup Porto Rico molasses, and 1 pound snet chopped line.
Add 6 eggs, 2 pounds currants, 2 pounds raisins, 1 pound citron, 14 pound lemon and orange (candied), a little salt, a small teaspoon of soda, spices to taste, and enough flour to make very thick.
Work the mixture with your hands until it can no longer be stirred with a spoon.
Boil and rest
Boil the mixture in a bag for five hours.
Let the pudding rest a few weeks in the bag, hanging away in a cool place.
Serve
To serve, place the pudding in a kettle of boiling water until thoroughly warmed through.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Currant + raisintop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Raisin + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,742 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and add structure as the pudding sets.
- Flour (in the method)
- Gives the mixture body so it becomes thick enough to hold its shape.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps preserve the pudding during its long rest.
- Currants
- Add concentrated fruit flavour and chewy texture throughout the pudding.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness, moisture and chewy texture throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Work the mixture with your hands until it can no longer be stirred with a spoon.. The mixture must be stiff and thoroughly combined so the fruit and dough distribute evenly and the pudding holds its shape when boiled.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, molasses, currant, raisin, egg):
- Figfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Datesfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, molasses, currant, raisin, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More plum pudding recipes
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Molasses Sauce32 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.