I was thrilled to be contacted by Kat from Keep Left PR to do a review for Bakers Delight, one of my favourite bakeries.  Anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession for bakeries, and I usually find it difficult to walk past a Bakers Delight without stopping and staring like a little kid at their delicious array of baked goods, then finally choosing something.

Bakers Delight is an Australian owned company which bakes fresh goods daily on their premises for just about any occasion; they’re fantastic at Easter and Christmas, offering a range of seasonal goodies like hot cross buns and Christmas cakes.  My usual purchases throughout the year always include their amazing scones (if you haven’t tried their passionfruit and white chocolate scones, you really should).  They also encourage healthier eating by selling breads for specific tastes and dietary needs such as wholegrain, low GI and high fibre with ingredients such as chia, seeds and fruit.

For the longest time I never liked fruit mince pies (or tarts) but one day a few years back I spotted one of these little treats and, enticed by the cute size and delicate dusting of icing sugar, I tried one and wondered why on earth I’d been missing out all these years.  So every year I buy them as a treat in the weeks leading up to the holiday season.  You can imagine my delight this year at being able to trial and review not just Bakers Delight’s fruit mince tarts, but their gorgeously rich Christmas cake as well.

Fruit mince tarts are sold in singles or packs of 6.  I just love the crisp, buttery pastry with gooey, sweet fruit and a soft dusting of snowy icing sugar and … who can resist anything so adorably miniature sized?!  I like mine with a coffee for morning tea.

 

The Christmas cake comes in both large and small sizes.  With a moist, soft crumb and full of cherries, sultanas and currants with that dark, puddingy, traditional flavour and texture, a piece of this cake is wonderful with hot custard and a cup of tea.  It always reminds me of my grandmother’s annual Christmas baking when I was a kid.

So I thought I’d put together an easy, Christmas inspired trifle using Bakers Delight Christmas cake layered with lots of lovely, decadent things.  This trifle is so lush and indulgent; the fresh cherry sauce and sweet butterscotch tastes amazing layered onto the rich Christmas cake with the addition of cool cream and custard; I’m fairly certain that even people who aren’t lovers of Christmas cake would enjoy this.

So get yourself along to one of the many Bakers Delight outlets this Christmas season and pick up some goodies for your friends, family and coworkers this Christmas season.

Thank you to Kat and Bakers Delight for generously offering their gorgeous, Christmas sweet treats for me to review and as gifts to give away!

All opinions stated here are my own, I wasn’t paid to trial or review any products and I wasn’t under any obligation to write a positive review.

 Recipe for Christmas cake trifle:

Approximately 1/3 of a large Bakers Delight Christmas cake
About 1 1/2 cups of a decent ready-made custard (choose one which is nice and thick with added flavours like brandy or vanilla bean)
160ml tub Pauls Extra Dollop cream
1 tspn cinnamon sugar
A few squares flaked dark chocolate
1 heaped tblspn flaked almonds

Cherry Sauce:
300g fresh or frozen pitted cherries
1 tspn lemon juice
1 x 20ml tblspn raw sugar
1/4 tspn vanilla extract
2 tspns cornflour mixed with 15mls water until smooth then add 30mls water until smooth

Butterscotch sauce:
40g chilled unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed firm)
1/2 tspn vanilla essence
140mls thickened cream

Cut Christmas cake into slices.  Stir cinnamon sugar through cream and store in the fridge.

Layer trifles as follows into deep glass dish or dishes:  slices of cake, drizzle over warm caramel sauce, spoon on cherry sauce then custard – repeat then store in the fridge, covered for at least an hour.

Just before serving, spoon cream over the top, then sprinkle over nuts and chocolate.

Cherry sauce:
Add cherries, lemon juice, sugar and vanilla to a medium sized, heavy based pan.  On high heat, stir gently until sugar has dissolved then turn down to medium/high and add cornflour mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and thick but with cherries still intact, for around 3 minutes.  Set aside to cool a bit until warm.

Butterscotch sauce:
Whisk the butter, brown sugar, vanilla essence and cream in a small-medium, heavy based pan over medium heat until combined and smooth, bringing to a simmer (I find it easier to start on high heat then turn down).  Simmer on low to medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally (and staying nearby) until sauce is smooth, creamy and dark golden.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes.  Stir before using.

Serves: 4 medium; 6 small serves