Christmas Pudding Pinata Cake

Please don't hate me, but I don't like Christmas pudding.

I'm just not that into it.

I guess you probably had a bit of an inkling a few years back when I confessed I didn't care for Christmas fruit cake and created the anti-fruit cake.

It's not the pudding, it's me, I love the idea of it.

So I've come up with a compromise and I think this pudding and I can agree to work together.

I've made a simple buttercream covered chocolate cake shaped like a pudding, covered with some simple fondant decorations and it's filled with chocolate and lollies (CANDY).

Oh yes I think me and this Christmas pudding pinata cake can get along just fine.

I've done up some quick instructions below, but I would recommend checking out my you tube tutorial here:


This cake was inspired by my dislike of pudding and this pinata cake on a subtle revelry.

Christmas Pudding Pinata Cake Instructions.
Although the cake will last for a few days, any coloured candy might bleed a little after a few hours. You can solve this by making as close to serving as possible or filling with wrapped lollies/candy (like the chocolate coins) or you can spread a thin layer of chocolate or ganache over the cut inside of the cake and let set before adding the candy.

I recommend watching the you tube tutorial CLICK HERE which shows me cutting the cake and hollowing it out.



 
Ingredients and Equipment

Chocolate cake baked in a bowl (mine was a mix that would normally make a 22cm chocolate buttercake)
Chocolate butter cream (I used Italian Meringue Buttercream as I had it handy but I would recommend a denser regular buttercream)
Large knife
Chocolate coins
Various lollies (candy)
small knife
spatula
White fondant, red fondant, green fondant
Corn flour/cornstarch
Large irregular cutter (Mine from an Ikea cookie cutter set)
holly cutter

*Note that blue cutter above is from a set of cutters from Ikea. I actually used the larger one. If you don't have one just cut out the shape you want by hand using a sharp knife.

Cut the top off the cake to make a flat base, then cut through the cake around 2 cm (just under an inch) from the bottom to get a flat base.

Using the sharp knife cut into the top domed cake to hollow out the top (see my you tube tutorial)

Place the base onto a cake stand or plate, pile up lollies and coins (candy) into the center.

Spread chocolate buttercream around the edge of the chocolate dome and stick it to the base ensuring the candy stays inside. Then cover the whole cake with chocolate buttercream. Chill if necessary.

Dust workbench with corn flour (cornstarch) and roll out the white fondant. Use cutter (or a knife) to cut out irregular shape to look like the sauce on top of a pudding (see picture). Carefully place onto the top of the buttercream covered cake.

Roll out green fondant onto workbench and cut out 3 holly leaves, use a knife to make indents to look like leaves. Place on top center of cake.

Roll a small piece of red fondant into a ball and place on the top center of the cake.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.