Serves: 6 - 8
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
200g dates, chopped
200g (1 cups) flour
150g butter, melted
60ml (4 tbsp) cocoa powder
4 jumbo eggs
260g brown sugar
10ml (2 tsp) mixed spice
10ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
5ml (1 tsp) ground ginger
5ml (1 tsp) ground nutmeg
100g roasted almonds, chopped
100g dried cranberries
Filling:
750ml (3 cups) good-quality vanilla ice cream, slightly thawed
240g fresh raspberries
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease two 27cm x 20cm Le Creuset non-stick rectangular baking sheets and line the bases with baking paper.
- In a food processor, blend dates and flour until the dates are finely chopped.
- Melt butter and add cocoa powder, mix until well combined.
- In an electric mixer, beat the eggs until thick, slowly adding the sugar.
- Add the spices, date and flour mixture and cooled cocoa and beat to mix.
- Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets and spread evenly. Sprinkle over the almonds and cranberries. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Cool.
- Line the bottom of a Le Creuset 26cm rectangular dish with baking paper. Cut one of the layers of cake to fit in the bottom of the dish snugly, press in to secure.
- Mix the ice cream to soften and spread over the cake. Sprinkle the raspberries over the ice-cream. Top with another layer of Christmas cake. Press in to secure before freezing overnight. Slice with a hot knife to serve.
Tip: To speed up and simplify the process, use a readymade rectangular or square Christmas cake and slice horizontally to fit the dish.
