This clootie dumpling may not look like a traditional round clootie but it has all the tasty flavours of a traditional clootie, and it saves time and cooking fuel by cooking it in the microwave. Its egg and dairy-free so great for vegans and plant-based diets as well as for those who just love tasty traditional home-baking.
Scoop the clootie dumpling mixture into the bowl. Cover the bowl with food wrap and pole a few holes to allow the steam to escape whilst cooking.
The cooking times for this dumpling will depend on the wattage of your microwave. [we used a 700 watt microwave so cooking took about 23 minutes with an extra 5 minute resting period at the end. An 800 or 900 watt microwave will be quicker]
Cook on the full setting for 10 minutes.
Remove the food wrap and turn the bowl around in the microwave.{if using a high wattage microwave your pudding may be already cooked by now, so if it is leave it to sit for 5 minutes before turning it out. But if it looks underdone once removed simply pop it back into the bowl and cook for a few minutes longer]
Cook for a further 5 minutes. Pop a skewer into the dumpling to see if it comes out clean and look down the sides to see if the colour looks like its evenly cooked. The dumpling will be firm and look evenly cooked over the surface.If not ready, cook for an extra 5-7 minutes.
Remove the dumpling from the microwave and leave for 5 minutes before removing -food continues to cook for a few minutes when removed from the microwave.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 130 Fan, 150 C, 300 Fahrenheit, or Gas 2.
Run a cake palette knife or an ordinary cutlery knife around the edges of the bowl to loosen the clootie sides.
Place a plate over the top of the bowl and quickly flip the bowl upside down. The clootie should slip out. If once removed the clootie looks under-cooked in the middle simply flip back into the bowl and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Once cooked, place the clootie dumpling onto a baking tray with the bottom side facing upwards. Sprinkle all over with the caster sugar.
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Bake for 15 minutes to dry out the edges a little and form a crispy crust.
Serve immediately or cool on the baking tray.
Enjoy warm with cream, custard or ice-cream.Or at room temperature with a slice of clootie spread with butter. Once cold the clootie dumpling can be sliced more easily. It is traditional to fry a slice of clootie and have as part of a cooked breakfast. ***We are a vegan family recipe blog so all our ingredient suggestions are for vegan and plant-based ones but if you have different dietary requirements you can use your usual ingredients.***
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not intended to be an exact analysis as ingredients vary.
Clootie dumpling will keep in a cool and dry place for up to 7 days, possibly a few days longer if stored within the refrigerator.
Store the clootie is wrapped in a layer of parchment paper and a second layer of kitchen foil.
Or freeze slices for up to 4 months.
Can't find vegetable or vegan suet? Replace it with vegan shortening, vegan butter or vegan margarine such as Stork baking spread. Don't use a lite/light or diet margarine as this may contain too much water for the recipe.
Mixed spice powder can be replaced with pumpkin pie or apple pie spice mix.
Instead of golden syrup - black treacle, light molasses or a darker molasses can be subbed in.
Replace the dried currants and sultanas with a dried fruit mix [those intended for Christmas pudding and cakes].
If preferred the oven stage can be omitted, and the dumpling will be a softer texture on the outside. It can still be sprinkled with the caster sugar or granulated sugar.
Prepare your own breadcrumbs by placing slices of bread into a food processor or blender. Pulse until crumbed.
Not got a food processor? Simply freeze the bread slices and then use a cheese grater to shred the bread into crumbs.
Wholemeal breadcrumbs was used for this recipe but any type of bread can be used.