Can you believe it’s nearly Christmas? How quickly the year has flown.
Christmas is a beautiful time of year, perfect for family, fun and festivities. Luckily for us in the Southern hemisphere, it’s also cherry season. Lasting just 100 days, the first cherry harvest starts in October/November in the eastern mainland states and extends through to late February with the majority of cherry crops harvested during December and January.
Cherries are touted to offer a range of health benefits, including:
Rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
May help to reduce symptoms of gout and arthritis, and
With its concentration of melatonin, cherries could even help improve sleep quality.
If you’re looking for ways to start the Christmas ball rolling, how about this super simple, Christmas Chocolate Ripple Cake, adorned with slightly sour, ruby red cherries?
No cherries on hand? Just as delicious with sliced mango or some ‘cheeky’ peaches or apricots poached in prosecco and vanilla.
Made it? Snap a photo and hashtag it #soupeduprecipes. We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook!
Method
1. Add sugar and vanilla essence to the cream and whip until very stiff.
2. Spread some of the cream mixture over a platter to form a base for the biscuit stacks.
3. Join Chocolate biscuits together using a generous spread of cream. Continue until all biscuits have been used and resemble a log.
4. Cover the log entirely with the remaining cream. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to soften and set.
5. Before serving, decorate log with grated chocolate or broken up Cadbury Flake.
6. Place cherries on top and garnish with a fresh sprig of spearmint.
7. To serve, cut cake at slight angle ensuring alternate layers of chocolate biscuit and cream are visible in each slice.