Fruit sweetened, festive frozen dessert.

This cultured cream Christmas pudding ice cream cake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and might just be the yummiest desserts you'll eat this Christmas. It is so good, it’s dangerous! Creamy, spicy, fruity and crunchy, it’s full of the flavours of Christmas and tastes like a sophisticated rum and raisin. Decorated with piped chocolate holly leaves, it’s a Christmas table show-stopper.

This Christmas pudding ice cream cake is low in sugar and made with whipped homemade probiotic cultured cream, so you could even consider it good for you. Cultured cream is a fermented dairy made in a yogurt maker. The unique tangy quality of homemade cultured cream balances out the sweetness of the dried fruit, making the flavours more complex and interesting.

Based on an Italian semifreddo, this cream-based, frozen dessert comes into its own when half frozen and is at its best when it starts to ooze at the edge. Allowing it to thaw for a while relaxes the fat in the cream, improves the texture and seems to make it taste, that little bit more incredible.

Any Christmas ice cream pudding left over after serving can be transferred to an airtight glass container (chocolate leaves as well) and returned to the freezer to be enjoyed post Christmas.

Cultured cream Christmas pudding ice cream cake can be made days or weeks in advance. Although the steps are not complicated, plan ahead, cultured cream Christmas pudding ice cream cake is best made in stages over a couple of days. Note: cultured cream must be chilled for at least 6 hours before you whip it.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup raisins
½ cup cranberries
½ cup currants
5 organic dried apricots – chopped
1 tablespoon of goji berries
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon mixed spice
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of cacao powder
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or more honey)
¼ cup brandy (or orange juice for an alcohol free version)
½ cup flaked almonds, toasted
400 grams cultured cream 
4 egg whites
100 grams of 70% dark cooking chocolate (for decorating)

METHOD

Stage 1. At least two days ahead:
1.   Make your homemade cultured cream following this method. Ferment for 12 hours to avoid the cream becoming overly sour, then chill for 6 hours before whipping.
2.   Combine the dried fruit, spices, vanilla, honey, zest, brandy and cacao in a bowl. Give it a good stir then cover and leave to swell overnight in the fridge (or longer, it won’t spoil)

Stage 2. Ice cream construction:
3.   Lightly toast the flaked almonds in a dry frypan on your stovetop. Set aside to cool.
4.   Whip the cultured cream with a hand whisk until thick. The consistency of cultured cream varies. It may be very thick straight from the fridge.
5.  Stir the toasted almonds and fruit mixture into the cultured cream
6.  In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg white into the cream mixture.
7.   Line a pudding tin (or mould shape of your choice) with cling wrap and pour in the mixture. Cover and put it in the freezer overnight or until required.

Stage 3. Chocolate decorations:
8.   Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
9.   Then pour the melted chocolate into a small piping bag (or make your own out of baking paper as I have).
10.  Lay a sheet of baking paper on a tray. Don’t be too precious about drawing skills. Squiggle out a bunch of leaves or any shape you like; hearts, stars, whatever.
11.  Transfer the tray to the fridge for 30 mins to snap them cold. You can make the chocolate decorations the day before and store in an airtight container in a cool place.

Step 4. Serving the ice-cream:
12.  Turn the ice cream out on to a plate and remove the cling wrap.
13.   Decorate the ice cream with chocolate leaves.
14.   Wait until you see it begin to ooze before serving. Serve with a spoon or slice with a knife.

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