These mini chocolate Christmas pudding cakes are a great alternative for those who don’t enjoy mince pies…
MAKES 12
FOR THE SPONGE
- 175g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g soft light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50g cocoa
- A pinch of salt
- 75ml buttermilk
- 75ml boiling water
- FOR THE FILLING
- 150g raspberry jam
FOR THE GANACHE TOPPING
- 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
- 200ml double cream
TO DECORATE
Green ready-to-roll icing
Redcurrants
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- To make the cakes, cream the butter with both of the sugars until pale and light. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla extract.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a mini sandwich tin.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa and salt into the mixture and mix until almost combined. Add the buttermilk and boiling water and continue to mix until smooth.
- Divide the mixture between the holes in the tin so that each is two thirds full. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes, until well-risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 2 minutes then ease out onto a wire rack and leave until completely cool.
- Once cool, cut each of the cakes into three equal parts. Top the bottom layers with a teaspoon of raspberry jam. Place the middle layers on top, add another teaspoon of jam then add the top layers.
- To make the ganache, put the chopped dark chocolate in a bowl. Add the cream to a small saucepan and heat until just below boiling point. Take the cream off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir until fully combined and smooth, then set aside until cooled to room temperature. Spoon over the tops of the cakes, letting it drizzle down the sides.
- For the holly leaf decorations, roll out your icing to about 5mm thick, then stamp out holly leaves using a cutter or a by hand. Arrange a couple of leaves on top of each cake and finish each cake with a couple of red currants.
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