08 Dec Chocolate Ice Cream “Christmas Pudding” Bombe

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When you bring this stunning showstopper of a dessert to the table, you’ll definitely receive a few ooh’s and aah’s from your guests – and that’s before they’ve even tasted it! Little do they know that it’s actually super-easy to make, especially for such a grand and impressive dessert.

Despite trying to imitate a Christmas Pudding, this baby tastes nothing like it! No heavy, stodgy pudding here, just rich chocolate ice cream and lots of crunchy Bakers^®  Biscuits, roasted hazelnuts and juicy red glacé cherries. All of this topped with a creamy white chocolate ganache (essential for that Christmas Pudding look) and some cherries for a festive flair.  (When it comes to adding the Bakers Choice Assorted^®  biscuits, feel free to select a combination of your favourites – as long as the total weight is around 400g).

With our warm and sunny festive season in South Africa, a frozen dessert like this goes down a real treat. I like to serve large wedges of this ice cream cake with some whipped cream or custard on the side. 

Note: If you’re pressed for time a good quality shop-bought ice cream works just as well – simply soften at room temperature for 10 minutes before folding in your Bakers^® Biscuits, nuts and cherries.

Ingredients:

(Serves 8-10)

For the ice cream:
100g hazelnuts
12 Bakers Romany Creams^® 
6 Bakers Romany Tarte^® 
6 Bakers Eet-Sum-Mors^® 
12 Bakers Nuttikrust^® 
10 Bakers Choc Delights^® 
400g dark chocolate, finely chopped 
1l cream (4 cups)
2 x 396g tins sweetened condensed milk
pinch of salt
5ml vanilla essence (1 tsp)
100g glacé cherries

For the white chocolate ganache:
125g white chocolate, finely chopped
45ml cream (3 tbsp)

To decorate:
fresh cherries

Directions:

• Place the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over high heat. Shake the pan frequently and cook until they start to smell toasty and turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and immediately place in a heatproof bowl to cool. Once cooled, use a clean tea towel to rub the skins off – discard the skins. 
• Lightly grease and line a 3l pudding basin or bowl with clingfilm (leaving a large overhang) and place in the freezer.
• Roughly chop all of the Bakers^®  biscuits and set aside.
• To make the ice cream, place the dark chocolate, condensed milk and 1 cup of cream into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Leave to cool to room temperature.
• Whip the remaining 3 cups of cream with the salt and vanilla essence until stiff peak stage. Stir about a cup of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture to equalise the temperatures and mix until combined. Very gently fold in the remaining cream, keeping as much air in the mixture as possible. Fold in the chopped biscuits, hazelnuts and glacé cherries.
• Pour into the prepared bowl, covering the top with the excess clingwrap, and freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
• To make the chocolate ganache, place the white chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has completely melted. Pour into a jug and cool slightly.
• When you are ready to serve, briefly dip the ice cream bowl into a larger bowl of warm water.  Dry the bowl and unwrap the clingfilm. Invert onto a board and carefully ease the ice cream bombe out of the bowl. Remove the clingfilm then carefully transfer the ice cream bombe onto a round serving platter.
• Slowly pour the white chocolate ganache on top, allowing it to run down the sides. If it is too hot it will melt the ice cream, so cool it just enough that it is still pouring consistency.
• Decorate the top with fresh cherries and slice into generous wedges to serve. Best served with whipped cream or custard, and extra Bakers^®  Biscuits!