- Waitrose chef creates new recipe for Christmas cake you can make in the fridge
- No-bake Christmas cake avoids need to turn on the oven, saving energy
- The recipe can be found in the current issue of Waitrose Weekend, free in all shops or online here.
This weekend (20th November) sees the annual return of Stir-Up Sunday, the day households traditionally make their Christmas cake or pudding – a feat that can take up to eight hours and uses precious energy.
For a twist this year, why not try this energy saving bake of the season - a no-bake Christmas cake you can make using fridge power avoiding the need to turn on the oven.
Will Torrent, senior development chef at Waitrose, said: “We know that households are looking for inventive ways to save energy right now, and one of the ways is to reduce power used in cooking and baking.
“My no-bake Christmas cake recipe is an ideal way to share the festive flavours of a classic Christmas cake with friends and family, while reducing the use of a traditional oven and keeping it delicious at the same time.”
No-Bake Chocolate Christmas Cake recipe
Serves 12
Prepare 20 minutes + chilling
Cook 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 100g Essential Unsalted Butter, plus extra for greasing
- 300g Belgian dark chocolate
- 150g Belgian milk chocolate
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 250g Waitrose Duchy Organic Stem Ginger All Butter Shortbread, chopped1 tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp Cooks’ Ingredients Orange Extract
- 150g dried mixed fruit
- 75g mixed peel
- 25g crystallised ginger, chopped
For the topping
- 225g Belgian white chocolate
- 50g whipping cream
Method
1. Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Roughly chop the dark and milk chocolate and put into a heatproof bowl with the honey and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (make sure it doesn’t touch the water). Melt until smooth, stirring often, then remove from the heat.
2. Stir in the shortbread, mixed spice, orange extract, dried fruit, mixed peel and crystallised ginger until everything is coated. Scrape into the lined tun and smooth the surface. Cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours (or overnight) until set firm, then lift from the tin and return to the fridge to keep cool.
3. To make the topping, melt the white chocolate gently as above. Meanwhile, heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Gradually pour the hot cream over the chocolate, whisking throughout, until fully combined. Leave to chill for 10-15 minutes until the same firmness and consistency as buttercream.
4. Using a palette knife, spread the white chocolate mixture over the top of the chilled cake, giving it a little texture with the knife as you go. Return to the fridge until needed, then cut into wedges to serve. This will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutritional information
V Per serving 2299 kj/ 551kcals/ 32g fat/ 19g saturated fat/ 60g carbs/ 50g sugars/ 3.6g fibre/ 5.1g protein/ 0.4g salt
