Why Does The Ultimate Christmas Pudding Use Baking Powder Instead Of Bicarbonate Of Soda?

Our answer

Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) is a steamed pudding that is rich with dried fruits and Pedro Ximenez sherry. The pudding also contains plain (all-purpose) flour and breadcrumbs and is steamed rather than baked.

A small amout of baking powder is added to the pudding as it gives the pudding a little lift. We prefer to use baking powder as it doesn't act as quickly as bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). This is useful given the very long and gentle cooking method, as the bicarbonate of soda will act very quickly and expire quickly, sometimes before the pudding has time to heat up and start to cook. In addition, bicarbonate of soda needs acid ingredients to act. This is not a huge problem for Christmas puddings as the dried fruits and green apple should be mildly acidic, but bicarbonate of soda is not as reliable to use as baking powder in this particular recipe and can sometimes leave a slightly bitter taste if there is not enough acidity in the Christmas pudding mixture.