Christmas Mud Cakes with Chocolate Ganache
Preparation 20 Minutes
Cook 25 Minutes
Serves 12
Method
- Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan-forced). Line 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Couscous Dried Fruit Salad
Rinse the couscous under cold, running water. Add to a saucepan with 750ml water, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 mins or until soft. Drain and rinse under running water and set aside to cool completely.
Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, season and pour over the cooled couscous. Toss to coat.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a presentation bowl to serve.
This salad can be served cold or at room temperature.
Moghrabieh can be substituted for Israeli (pearl) couscous. Simply follow the cooking instructions on the packet as they can vary.
Sultana & Date Scones
Festive Fruit Cake
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line the base and sides of a 20cm springform cake pan.
Mix nuts, dried fruits, glace cherries, peel in a bowl. Sift in flour, baking powder then stir in sugar. Lightly whisk eggs with vanilla, then stir into the cake mixture until well combined. Pour into pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack over a plate and remove baking paper. Pierce all over with a skewer. Drizzle with brandy, then wrap tightly in foil and leave in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days to mature.
For the topping: Soak fruit in Maple syrup, add boiling water to cover and let soften. Closer to serving, warm jam in a pan over low heat or in the microwave until runny. Arrange the maple-soaked fruits over the top of the cake in a decorative pattern, then brush with warm jam to set in place.
Sultana Cinnamon Mini Muffins
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans with paper cases. Combine flour, brown sugar, oats and sultanas in medium bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter and egg in small bowl, stir into dry ingredients (do not overmix, mixture should be lumpy).
Divide mixture into paper cases. Bake about 15 minutes, turn, top-side up, onto wire rack. Combine caster sugar with cinnamon, sprinkle over hot muffins.
Walnut & Sultana Monkey Bread
Prepare the dough: The dough comes together with a mixer. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, it’s time to knead. You can simply continue beating the dough with the mixer for this step or you can knead the dough by hand.
Let the dough rise: The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
Punch down the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air.
Shape & coat dough balls: Pull off little pieces of dough and roll into balls. Dunk the balls into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon sugar. Little bakers love to help out with this step! Good thing to note: the heavier the cinnamon-sugar coating, the more these little monkey bread bites will taste like gooey cinnamon rolls.
Let the shaped monkey bread rest for 20 minutes: Arrange the coated balls in a flat oven proof pan or a cast iron pan, cover lightly, then set aside to rest as you preheat the oven. The balls will slightly rise during this time.
Top with buttery brown sugar sauce: Before baking the monkey bread, mix melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together. Stir in the nuts. Pour any remaining sauce sauce all over the dough balls.
Bake:
Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
Invert onto serving plate: Allow the monkey bread to cool for 5-10 minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate.
Drizzle with vanilla icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Drizzle all over the warm monkey bread. Top with extra nuts
Easter Blondies
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and butter or line with parchment paper a 20cm x 20cm baking tin.
Melt the butter and white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of water and take off to cool once combined and fully melted.
In another bowl, mix the muscovado sugar, caster sugar and eggs together until thick and glossy. Approximately 2 minutes.
Once the butter and white chocolate mixture is cooled, mix in 1/3 to the sugar and eggs, and then fold in the rest.
Add in your flour, baking powder, vanilla, almonds and macadamias and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into your lines baking tin and for 35-45 minutes. The centre should still have a little wobble and a tooth pick should come out a little fudgy.
Straight from the oven, press your speckled eggs into the top of your blondie and let cool on a wire rack.
