No-steam cranberry and oat Christmas pudding

Method

1. Lightly butter a 1.3-litre pudding basin, then line the base with a circle of greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.

2. Place 150g of the sugar, the butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan and heat until melted. Boil for 1 minute, then tip in the flour, oats, mixed spice, raisins and eggs. Mix well, then set aside for 15 minutes to cool and firm up slightly. Using just damp hands, press three-quarters of the mixture into the base and up the sides of the pudding basin, making sure the rim around the top is very even.

3. Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Put into a saucepan with the figs, cranberries, remaining sugar and finely grated orange zest. Place over a low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the fruit has just softened. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the fruit mixture, then pack the remaining mixture into the oat-lined basin. Spread the remaining oat mixture over the top, making sure you seal the edges well.

4. Cover the pudding with foil and bake for 50 minutes, until golden and firm. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

5. Turn out the pudding by running a sharp knife around it to loosen, then carefully upturn onto a serving plate.

6. Gently reheat the reserved fruit filling in a pan with the shredded orange zest and a splash of water. Pile onto the pudding, then slice and serve.