Name: Chocolate lager cake with hot cross bun cream cheese icing
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Desserts & Baking
Ingredients: white sugar 400g,butter 185 g ,free-range eggs 2,white sugar 400g,cake flour 400 g ,free-range eggs 2,baking powder 1t ,cake flour 400 g ,of salt a pinch ,baking powder 1t ,cocoa powder 90 g ,of salt a pinch ,beer of choice (I used Devil’s Peak Zero to Hero) 340ml ,cocoa powder 90 g ,For the hot cross bun cream cheese icing: ,beer of choice (I used Devil’s Peak Zero to Hero) 340ml ,cream cheese 250 g ,cream ½ cup ,For the hot cross bun cream cheese icing: ,cream cheese 250 g ,icing sugar 100g ,cream ½ cup ,mixed spice, plus extra for dusting 1 t ,icing sugar 100g ,mixed spice, plus extra for dusting 1 t

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Chocolate lager cake with hot cross bun cream cheese icing

45 minutes

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1 hour

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Cake recipes

Christmas cake semifreddo

5 minutes

Christmas cake semifreddo

Serves 8

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking time

Cooking Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 x 400 g punnet cherries, pitted
½ cup rum
400 g caster sugar
10 free-range egg yolks
2 T vanilla extract
4 cups cream
200 g Christmas cake, crumbled
200 g 70% dark chocolate, melted

Method

1. Soak the cherries in the rum overnight.

2. Beat the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then fold the egg mixture into the cream.

3. Fold in the cherries with their juice and the Christmas cake. Spoon into a 23 cm round cake tin or 24 cm loaf tin, then freeze.

4. Spoon the chocolate into a piping bag and fill a bowl with iced water. Pipe chocolate circles into the water, don’t go too thin. Remove from the water and layer between greaseproof paper. Cover with clingwrap or store in a Tupperware and freeze.

5. To serve, remove the semifreddo from the tin, place on a plate and decorate with the chocolate.

Cook's note: Pitting the cherries is a labour of love but it’s worth it. If you don’t fancy the rum, use a drop or two of almond extract and ½ cup cranberry juice. Instead of making the semifreddo from scratch, just use your favourite vanilla ice cream from Woolies, softened, so you can mix in the other ingredients. This also freezes well.

Find more Christmas recipes here.

Photographs: Jan Ras
Food assistants: Emma Nkunzana and Nicola Naude

This is a test recipe

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Chocolate lager cake with hot cross bun cream cheese icing

Orange-and-macadamia cake

Flourless dark chocolate cake

Vanilla cake with pistachio icing

Mini cheesecakes

Gluten-free almond tart

Giant churro funnel cake

Brown butter cake with caramel icing

Nectarine-and-almond snacking cake

Microwave oven cake

Special occasion chocolate cake

Christmas cake semifreddo

Christmas cake semifreddo

Ingredients

Method