Chop the blueberries roughly in half and soak with the cranberries in brandy, overnight or for as long as you can. This is not vital but tastes great.
Blitz the whole boiled orange, skin and all, in a food processor until smooth.
Blend the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, ensuring the baking powder is well combined.
Hand beat the eggs, EVOO (oil) and the vanilla extract roughly in a small bowl.
Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients and mix till well combined.
Wipe a small (about 15-20 cm wide ) pudding tin/ceramic bowl liberally with oil so the pudding won’t stick.
Pour the pudding mix into the bowl and smooth off the top.
Cover the pudding with a piece of quality baking paper that has been wiped liberally with oil. Then fold 2 pieces of aluminium foil over the top of the baking paper and press into the bowl to seal it the bowl off and ensure water will not get inside. Tie the cover off with a piece of string.
Place the pudding in a high edged baking tray, a little bit bigger than the pudding bowl. Fill with boiling water up to about 3/4's of the way up the bowl.
10. Bake in the oven at about 180 C/355 F for about 1 1/2 -2 hours, or until pudding is cooked in the centre. Note that it should still be moist so don’t overcook it.
11. Leave the pudding to cool with the wrapping on it.
To Serve
If you don't serve it straight away and want to reheat the pudding, I suggest microwaving it in portions or as a whole pudding. To steam it in the microwave and prevent drying out, sprinkle or spray with a tiny amount of water and cover the pudding with a lid or cling wrap,taking care not to over heat it. You could also steam it again in a saucepan on the stove top for about 30-40 minutes.
Serve with Low Carb Creamy Custard , brandy butter and/or ice cream. You could also drizzle with a little brandy and set it alight before serving-do with caution though!
Brandy Butter Recipe
Beat 150 gms/5.29 oz of butter in a small mixing bowl until creamy. Add 100 gms/3.5 oz of Swerve Confectioners Sweetener/alternative sweetener and continue to mix until the sugar has blended into the butter. Add 1/4 cup of brandy and whip until combined.
Add a dollop to the top of your hot pudding and serve with cream and/or custard.
Notes
Increase the amount of brandy to taste as it is subtle in flavor.The Xanthan Gum is optional. It will give the pudding a different texture but I make it without it and it still tastes amazing. As there is no gluten in this pudding, the Xanthan Gum acts as a bit of a binding agent.Using Sweeteners- Note that my recipes will never be overly sweet as I am conservative with using sweeteners. Pay attention to the specific type of sweetener listed and use it as a reference point if you use a different type or blend, or else the recipe will not taste the same. Always taste the batter for sweetness and adjust to your liking. Note that a blend of Stevia or Monk Fruit with Erythritol is much sweeter than using Erythritol or Xylitol on their own. In this recipe I have used a blend, which is why a small amount is specified in this particular recipe.Boiling Oranges- Boil the orange on the stove top in simmering water for 3/4 hour. You may need to top up the water and make sure it doesn't boil dry. I do this in bulk with old oranges and store them in the freezer to use in recipes like this one.The Whole Orange Does Not Make This Recipe Biter At all- Using a whole orange in this recipe will not result in a bitter taste at all and the orange flavor in the cake is actually very subtle. You cannot taste the pips or the skin of the orange. It simply adds a hint of flavor and moisture to the recipe.Using 100 % Fresh/Frozen Fruit In The Recipe- I used dried cranberries in this recipe which can be problematic for some of you as they generally are sweetened with apple juice. The ones I selected were reduced sugar but they still have had fructose added. This is because it is near on impossible to source fresh cranberries in Australia. As this pudding serves 18 people, the sugar/carbs in each slice is still minimal. You could use fresh or frozen cranberries (or more blueberries) in place of the dried cranberries but I recommend you follow the instructions below to the recipe, to make sure the batter isn't too wet.If using 100% Fresh/Frozen Berries In The Recipe- Cut the blueberries or cranberries roughly in to half. Add to a saucepan with a 1/2 tablespoon of water and simmer on a low-medium until the fruit softens. Continue simmering until the water content in the fruit reduces and the mix is a little drier. There is no need to break the fruit up, as you want chunks of fruit in the pudding. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Add the brandy to the fruit and soak as per the recipe for as long as you can before making your pudding.