There’s a lot to be said for the well-worn tradition of offering Christmas cake or pudding following your overly-satisfying Christmas meal. But there is always a place for challenging tradition and perhaps even creating new ones. This collection of amazing Christmas Cakes offer some alternatives for your Christmas dessert table.
Whether you’re looking to try something new but don’t want to stray too far from the familiar, or looking for a completely new and show-stopping feature piece, discover these Amazing Christmas Cakes!
Boiled Caramelised Apple Fruit Cake
Give the traditional fruit cake a twist with this Boiled Caramelised Apple Fruit Cake recipe. It’s not too far from the familiar Christmas cake so the traditionalists shouldn’t be too offended, and it’s different enough that you might grab the attention of some who usually aren’t interested in the traditional fare. A real crowd pleasure all ’round.
Prep: 0:15 Mins
Cook: 1:15 Hr and Mins
Serves: 16
INGREDIENTS:
- 75g butter, melted
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 200g dried apple slices
- 400g tin condensed milk
- 400g tin pie apple
- 375g mixed dried fruit
- 125g butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp bicarb soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
Method
- Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a 22cm cake tin. Combine melted butter and brown sugar and pour in prepared tin.
- Arrange 8 -9 dried apple slices over the caramel in the base of the tin. Set aside.
- Chop the remaining dried apple. Add to a medium saucepan with the condensed milk, pie apple, dried fruit, 125g butter and cinnamon. Cook over gentle heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously to ensure it does not stick on the bottom. Turn off the heat and stir through bicarb soda. Set aside to cool.
- Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add cooled fruit mixture and stir to combine. Fold through flour.
- Pour batter into the prepared tin over caramel and apple circles. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and cover with a piece of foil. Return to the oven and bake for a further 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Slide a knife between the tin and the cake to loosen, then up-end onto a plate. Peel off baking paper, dust with icing sugar and serve.
Recipe Source: www.bestrecipes.com.au
Giant Iced Vovo Cake
There’s certainly nothing traditional about this one! A Giant Iced Vovo cake is perfect to feed the hungry masses, but perhaps more importantly, it looks absolutely AMAZING!! With pretty pink meringue, snow-like coconut and festively red raspberries this is one special Christmas treat that is sure to impress on every level.
Prep: 0:40 Mins
Cook: 1:30 Hr and Mins
Serves: 20
INGREDIENTS:
- 400g butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 5 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
- 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 2 x 165ml cans coconut milk
- 210g packet Iced VoVo biscuits, plus extra halved biscuits to serve
- 1 cup raspberry jam
- 300ml thickened cream, whipped
- 453g tub vanilla frosting
- Pink food colouring
- Pink mini fruity meringues, to decorate
- Raspberries, to decorate
- Rainbow cachous, to decorate
METHOD
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease a two 20cm x 30cm lamington cake pans. Line base and sides with baking paper.
Step 2
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition (mixture may curdle at this stage). Add flour, coconut and coconut milk. Beat until just combined.
Step 3
Divide half the batters among prepared pans. Top with Iced Vovos. Top with remaining batter, spreading to level. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre of cakes comes out clean. Turn, top-side up, onto a baking paper-lined wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4
Place one cake on a serving platter. Top with jam, whipped cream and remaining cake. Tint frosting with pink colouring. Spread frosting over top of cake. Decorate with fruity meringues, raspberries, cachous and extra Iced Vovos. Serve.
Recipe Source: www.taste.com.au
Spiced Chocolate Christmas Cake
This might just be the ultimate cake flavour fusion – Spiced Chocolate Christmas Cake. Two popular favourites combine for one amazing Christmas cake experience.
Prep: 0:15 Mins
Cook: 1:35 Hr and Mins
Serves: 20
INGREDIENTS:
- 1kg mixed fruit
- 1/2 cup (125ml) brandy or orange juice
- 250g butter, chopped
- 1 1/4 cups (275g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 cups (300g) plain flour
- 1/4 cup (35g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
- 3 free range eggs
- 1/3 cup (80ml) brandy or orange juice, extra
- Icing sugar, to dust
METHOD
Step 1
Preheat oven to 150C. Grease and line a 23cm round (base measurement) cake pan or 19cm square (base measurement) cake pan with 3 layers of baking paper, allowing the paper to extend 5cm above the side.
Step 2
Stir the fruit, brandy or orange juice, butter and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat for 5 mins or until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Set aside for 10 mins to cool.
Step 3
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon over the fruit mixture. Add the chocolate and eggs. Stir until well combined. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 1 1⁄2 hours or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Pour over extra brandy or orange juice. Wrap pan in a tea towel and set aside to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.
Recipe Source: www.taste.com.au
Pavlova
Ok, so we know this one technically isn’t a cake, but it has deservedly earned a place on many Christmas dessert tables around the country. Cake or not, Pavlova is a must-have, and undoubtedly amazing, Christmas dessert, so we couldn’t go past including it on our list.
Prep: 0:10 Mins
Cook: 1:30 Hr and Mins
Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp cornflour
Method
- In a small electric mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Add sugar, lemon juice and sifted cornflour, and beat until stiff and glossy (at least 10 minutes).
- Cover a baking tray with baking paper.
- Pile meringue onto paper and shape into a large circle, leaving the centre slightly hollowed.
- Bake in at 130C for 1½ hours or until crisp on the outside.
- Turn oven off and leave pavlova to cool in oven with door ajar.
- Decorate with whipped cream and fruit in season.
Recipe Source : www.bestrecipes.com.au