Peach, Date and Apple Christmas Slow Cooker Pudding

Serves 8, Prep and Cook 6 hours, 45 mins

1¾ cups finely chopped pitted

dates (250g)

½ cup butterscotch-flavoured

schnapps

1¹⁄³ cups finely chopped dried

peaches (200g pkt)

2 Granny Smith apples (300g),

peeled, cored, coarsely grated 1 cup chopped raisins

½ cup firmly packed brown

sugar

½ cup golden syrup

175g unsalted butter, melted 3 eggs, lightly beaten

1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs

(90g)

1 cup self-raising flour

3 tsps mixed spice

BUTTERSCOTCH CUSTARD (See page 50 Kitchen Hacks),

to serve

1 Place dates in a medium bowl.

2 Combine schnapps and ¼ cup of water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until hot. Pour over dates. Stir to combine. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

3 Transfer dates to an extra large bowl. Stir in peaches, apples and raisins. Stand, covered overnight, to soak.

4 Lightly spray a metal pudding steamer (8-cup capacity) with cooking oil. Line base and side with 5 x 6cm wide strips of baking paper.

5 Add sugar, syrup, butter, eggs and breadcrumbs to fruit mixture. Mix well. Stir in combined sifted flour and spice. Spoon into prepared steamer. Smooth over top.

6 Place a pleated piece of baking paper then foil over top of steamer. Tie firmly with kitchen string to secure. Cover with metal lid.

7 Place a small, heatproof saucer upside down in the centre of a removable bowl of a 5 to 6-litre capacity slow cooker. Sit steamer on saucer. Pour in enough cold water, about 7 cups, to come three-quarters of the way up the side of steamer. Cover cooker tightly with two sheets of foil, then cover with lid.

8 Cook on High setting for 6 hours. Pudding is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove pudding steamer. Stand for 30 minutes. Remove lid and foil. Turn out pudding onto a plate. Remove lining paper.

9 Serve warm pudding with warm custard.