Best Ever Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding

Ingredients

• 150g (5oz) raisins
• 150g (5oz) currants
• 150g (5oz) candied mixed peel
• 1 small cooking apple, such as Bramley, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp brandy or sherry
• 75g (⅓ cup) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 150g (¾ cup) light muscovado sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 90g (⅔ cup) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 slices of gluten-free bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
• 125g (generous ½ cup) butter, softened
• 200g (scant 1½ cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
• Grated zest of ½ orange
• 4 tbsp brandy, plus an extra 4 tbsp to serve