Christmas Mud Cakes with Chocolate Ganache

Preparation 20 Minutes

Cook 25 Minutes

Serves 12

Print Recipe Share

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan-forced). Line 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
  2. Place mixed fruit into a food processor with boiling water and blend to a fine paste. Transfer to a large saucepan with butter, chocolate, milk and brown sugar. Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the butter and chocolate has melted.
  3. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can transfer to a clean bowl and use a hand mixer) and whisk in the eggs. Add flour mixture, cocoa, mixed spice and a generous pinch of salt. Mix until the batter is thick and smooth.
  4. Pour batter into the prepared cases and smooth the surface. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.
  5. Heat cream until hot and pour over chocolate. Mix until smooth and desired consistency achieved. Spread over mud cakes.

Ingredients

3/4 cup pure cream

300g SUNBEAM Mixed Fruit

1 tbsp boiling water

250g unsalted butter, chopped

200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

330mL milk

⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1¾ cups plain flour, whisked with ½ tsp baking powder

¼ cup cocoa powder

2 tsp mixed spice

Sea salt

Ganache

¼ cup thickened cream

110g dark chocolate, chopped

Recipe Collection

Rainbow Couscous & Sultana Salad

In a small saucepan, bring water and salt just to the boil. Add couscous and stir once. Cover pan, remove from heat and set aside 10 mins, until water is absorbed.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.

Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Add sultanas, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, and onions, and tosswell.

Drizzle salad with half of the dressing and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle salad withwalnuts and feta. Serve with remaining dressing.

Tips

  • Store salad in a covered container in the fridge, for up to three days.
  • Couscous can be substituted with cooked and cooled quinoa, if preferred

Sticky Date Christmas Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

TO MAKE THE PUDDING

1. Combine dates, mixed fruit, 280ml water, sugars, salt and butter in large saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 8 mins.

2. Add bicarbonate of soda, stir well and allow to cool completely (preferably overnight).

3. Once completely cool, add eggs, flours, spices and rum. Mix well.

4. Generously grease inside the pudding bowl. Pour the mixture into tin then cover with a layer of baking paper and a layer of foil and secure tightly with kitchen string.

5. Place a small cooling rack or an upturned oven-safe dish into the base of a large saucepan. Place pudding bowl on top so that it is not directly touching the bottom of the pan. Fill saucepan with boiling water to come half way up the sides of the pudding bowl. Bring water to the boil then reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 3 hours.  Remove pudding from water, allow to cool completely before removing pudding from tin.

TO MAKE SAUCE

1. Combine cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until all ingredients combined.
2. Stir in salt.

White Christmas Tree Bites

  1. Line the inside of 12 ice-cream cones with baking paper, using a stapler or sticky tape to secure paper.
  2. Place white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (ensuring bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir until the chocolate has melted and is smooth. Remove from heat.
  3. Allow to cool then add all the other ingredients and stir to coat. Spoon into the prepared lined cones Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set before serving.

Christmas Pudding

Greese 2 small or 1 large basin.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Fill the mixture into the basins, or if preferred a well seasoned pudding cloth. Place 2 thicknesses of foil over the basins and tie securly.

Boil steadily for 6 hours for the lrge pudding and 4 hours for the small. On the day pudding is to be served, boil for 1 hour.

Twisted Christmas Bread Wreath

Christmas Fruit Pudding

  1. Combine fruit, brandy, rinds and apple. Cover and set aside overnight or for at least 2 hours.

  2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, beat in golden syrup. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition

  3. Combine breadcrumbs, flour, spices and almonds. Add creamed butter mixture and soaked fruit, mixing well to combine.

  4. Grease a 2 litre capacity pudding basin, line the base with a double layer of baking paper.

  5. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth top. Double line the top with baking paper rounds.

  6. Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and 60cm piece of foil, layer and fold in half, make a 3cm pleat in the middle (this allows for any expansion of the pudding). Place sheets over pudding and secure tightly with string. Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, fill one third with water and bring to boil. Carefully place pudding onto wire rack making sure the water level comes about halfway up pudding basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, replenish water when needed.

  7. Remove from water, stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve cut into slices with cream and maple syrup.
More Recipes

Join Our Recipe Club