Delia Smith Summer Fruit Pudding​

Delia Smith’s summer pudding is the kind of recipe that looks like it took hours but actually needs about 20 minutes of work. Raspberries, redcurrants, and blackcurrants are cooked with 150g (5 oz) golden caster sugar (superfine sugar) for just 3 to 5 minutes, poured into a bread-lined basin, weighted down, and left in the fridge overnight to set into a deep red dome that serves 6.

I put off making this summer fruit pudding for years because I thought it would fall apart when I turned it out. It did not. The overnight pressing forces the juice right through the bread, and as long as you patch every gap in the lining, the whole thing holds its shape. Delia calls this one of her favourite summer desserts, and after making this summer pudding recipe myself I understood why.

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Why Does It Need to Sit Overnight?

The weight pushes the berry juice into every bit of bread, turning it from white to deep purple-red. Without a full night of pressing, the bread stays pale in patches and the pudding falls apart when you tip it out.

I tried a four-hour version once and the bottom held fine but the sides had white streaks where the juice had not soaked through. Delia is clear that overnight is the minimum, and she is right.

Summer Fruit Pudding Ingredients

• 225g (8 oz) redcurrants
• 110g (4 oz) blackcurrants
• 450g (1 lb) raspberries
• 7 to 8 medium slices white bread (from a large loaf), crusts removed
• 150g (5 oz) golden caster sugar (superfine sugar)

How To Make Delia Smith Summer Fruit Pudding

1. Strip the currants: Hold each stalk at the tip and slide it through the prongs of a fork to push the berries off. Rinse all the fruit.
2. Cook the fruit: Put the raspberries, redcurrants, and blackcurrants into a large pan with the sugar. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the sugar melts and the juices start running. Do not cook any longer or you lose the fresh taste.
3. Line the basin: Cut one slice of bread to fit the bottom of a 1.2 litre pudding basin. Cut 4 slices in half and line the sides, placing the rounded edge down and overlapping slightly. Press the edges together and fill any gaps with small pieces so no juice can escape.
4. Fill the pudding: Pour the fruit and juice into the bread-lined basin, but save about one cupful of the mixture for later. Cover the top with the remaining slices of bread to make a lid.
5. Press and chill: Place a small plate that fits inside the rim of the basin on top of the bread. Put a heavy weight, about 1.8kg (4 lb), on the plate. Leave in the fridge overnight.
6. Turn out and serve: Run a palette knife around the edge to loosen the pudding. Flip it onto a serving plate. Use a pastry brush or spoon to paint the saved juice over any white patches of bread. Serve with double cream (heavy cream) or crème fraîche.

How To Stop It Falling Apart

The two things that cause a summer pudding to collapse are gaps in the bread lining and not enough weight on top. When you line the basin, overlap every slice by at least 1cm and press the edges together firmly. Cheap white sliced bread works best because it is soft and soaks up juice fast.

The weight needs to be heavy enough to force juice into every layer. Delia says 1.8kg (4 lb), which is roughly three tins of beans stacked on a saucer. If it still has white patches after you turn it out, that saved cupful of juice is your rescue: brush it on and nobody will know.

Can You Use Frozen Fruit?

Frozen summer berries work well and are much cheaper out of season. You do not need to thaw them first because they break down fast in the pan. The extra liquid frozen fruit gives off means you might need slightly less cooking time, so watch for the moment the sugar melts and pull the pan off the heat.

Strawberries are the one fruit to leave out. They go mushy and watery and do not have the sharpness that makes this English summer pudding work. Stick to raspberries, redcurrants, and blackcurrants, or swap the blackcurrants for blackberries if that is what you have.

Keeping It for Later

This pudding is best eaten within 24 hours of turning it out, but it keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days covered in cling film (plastic wrap). The bread gets softer the longer it sits, so do not leave it much longer than that.

You can freeze it while it is still in the basin. Wrap the whole thing tightly and freeze for up to 1 month, then thaw overnight in the fridge before turning out. The bread and butter pudding is a good winter swap if you want the same make-ahead ease with something warm.

FAQs

More Recipes To Try:

• Bread and Butter Pudding
• Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
• Traditional Raspberry Trifle

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 254 kcal
• Fat: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Protein: 4g
• Dietary Fibre: 4g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving (serves 6).