Actually Written: 8th September 2011
Ok so my gift? A day off school because of an industrial
strike. My reasoning – “I have been granted my gift-list = Santa came =
Ate my Brookie = Christmas time = Christmas baking” – Makes perfect sense
right?
Yes I know, exactly, so this morning, the first thing I
did was get up and make mini Christmas puddings. Fast, easy and include
chocolate. Yes, chocolate. Yes two types. Yes, yes, it tasted brilliant. I
actually adapted the original recipe from taste.com
quite a bit so here is my version.
It felt so nice to be able to eat something which would generally require a
boatload of cooking utensils, pots and pans and ovens. HA, a thing of the past,
I says, a thing of the past (or until real Christmas rolls around where people
are way to expectant to be honest =P)
Mini Christmas Puddings
Adapted from taste.com
Ganache from Exclusively Food
Makes: 30
Ingredients
- 200g dark
chocolate - 600g
fruit cake - 1/3 cup
fruit juice/liquor - 1/3 – 1/2
cup desiccated coconut
Ganache
And Decoration
- 200g
white chocolate - 80g sour
cream - 30 assorted chopped dried fruit + 1 green snake
lolly
Method
- Melt dark chocolate over a bowl
of simmering water. Ensure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. - Crumble the fruitcake into the
bowl of dark chocolate. Add in the fruit juice and desiccated coconut. - Stir until well combined.
- Refrigerate for an hour or until
the mixture is easy to handle and not sticky. - Roll up 1-1 1/2 tbs of mixture
into balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, flattening the bottom of each ball as you
place them down. - Refrigerate for another hour or
until firm. - Melt white chocolate
in a small saucepan over very
low heat, stirring frequently. When chocolate has completely melted, remove
from heat and quickly stir in sour cream. Use immediately, or if your ganache is
quite runny, set it aside at room temperature to thicken slightly before use
Reasons
For Adaptations
- There was
too much fruitcake for that amount of dark chocolate – there was no taste of
the chocolate in the cake – even with this decreased amount, it is quite
minimum so feel free to add a little more chocolate according to taste - Any
breakfast juice or specific flavours of juice are welcome in this recipe, not
just orange. I used mango and it wasn’t an overpowering flavour at all. The
reason for the juice is to be a binding agent rather than a taste factor – for
adults, feel free to use a fruity liquor such as cherry or a brandy or a
whiskey which goes well with dark chocolate instead - Instead
of icing sugar, I felt the fruitcake and juice provided enough sweetness in
this recipe – too much and the flavour will not be as dense and rich which is
why milder milk chocolate is not used. Sweetened desiccated coconut should be
added carefully – it adds a great texture to the overall dish but if too much
is added to the batter, it might start to have too many white flecks, tearing
away from the impression of being a miniature Christmas fruitcake – Of course icing sugar can still be used in
the same amount, it really depends on personal preference - I prefer
a ganache style of ‘custard’ in this recipe since it is easier to pour rather
than white chocolate which seizes up almost immediately off-heat – White
chocolate with cream is too much for me so I prefer this brilliant ganache
twist with sour cream where the tartness balances out the sweetness of the
white chocolate - Dried
Fruit gives this dish an air of sophistication – I am such a snob, no I love
jellybeans, do not look at me as if I am crazy to be replacing them – Just with
the general theme of a fruitcake, the dried fruit is more fitting with the
flavours it is with. My favourite and highly recommended topping on this would
be mini cubes of dried pawpaw which is red with a tiny chopped piece of a green
snake for the holly leaf-berry look.
Go Bake Yourself 
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