3 ways to use a store-bought mud cake this Christmas

There’s nothing like ease at Christmas time.

Often, we have grand plans to make the most extravagant cake on the dessert table, but sometimes, outside factors deter even the best laid plans!

There are last minute gifts to buy, pressies to wrap or you may just have to bake the chrissy ham.

If you still want to try something festive for dessert, but don’t have the time to bake – we’ve prepared three delicious recipes with store-bought cakes and turned them into Christmas works of art.

And the best thing? They’re easy peasy and taste delicious.

See below for the yummiest dessert, all made with a store-bought cake

REINDEER MUD CAKE

SERVES 8 PREP 20 MINS

✦ 600g store-bought mud cake

✦ 400g store-bought chocolate frosting

✦ 2 white mini meringues

✦ 2 brown M&M’s

✦ 5cm piece licorice strap, thinly sliced

✦ 2 Butternut Snap biscuits

✦ ¼ cup white choc melts, melted

✦ 4 red sour straps

✦ 2 Curly Wurlys

✦ 3 Spearmint Leaves

✦ 1 round mint

1. Arrange cake on serving board.

2. Spread frosting all over top and side of cake.

3. Press meringues, tip-side down, into cake to form eyes. Using a little frosting, attach brown M&M’s to form pupils and liquorice for eyebrows.

4. Place Butternut Snap halves at top of cake to form ears. Pipe a little white chocolate around edges. Arrange remaining whole biscuit to form nose. Cut a round from a sour strap for red nose and attach with a little frosting on top of biscuit. Pipe a little extra frosting on cookie to form mouth.

5. Slice Curly Wurly chocolates on an angle to form antlers. Arrange on board. Press in leaves and mint for holly and use remaining sour straps for bow.

XMAS TREE MUD CAKE

SERVES 8 PREP 15 MINS

✦ 600g store-bought mud cake

✦ 400g tub store-bought chocolate frosting

✦ 340g bag Freckles

✦ 3 x Flake bars

✦ 3 x rainbow sour straps, trimmed into colours

✦ fondant stars, to decorate

1. Arrange mud cake on a serving board. Trim edges from cake to form a triangle tree shape and use off cuts to form a tree stump.

2. Spread frosting all over top and sides of cake. Starting at the base of the cake, stick Freckles on cake in rows. Repeat rows, gradually working up to the top.

3. Halve Flake bars and stick around base of tree to form stump.

4. Decorate tree with sour straps and fondant stars.

CHRISTMAS BAUBLE

SERVES 8 PREP 30 MINS

✦ 600g store-bought mud cake

✦ 400g vanilla frosting

✦ green food colouring

✦ 3 red sour straps

✦ 2 rainbow sour straps

✦ 8 jubes, halved, plus one whole

✦ 2 Butternut Snap biscuits

1. Arrange mud cake on a serving board.

2. Tint frosting green and spread all over top and sides of cake.

3. Arrange two red sour straps at top and base of cake, trimming slightly to form curve of bauble. Arrange halved jubes in a line next to each sour strap. Thinly slice remaining red sour strap and arrange next to each row of jubes.

4. Trim rainbow sour straps on an angle in large pieces using picture as a guide and arrange in a zigzag pattern in middle of cake.

5. Stack two biscuits on top of cake to form top of bauble and arrange one whole jube on top.

For more delicious recipes, click HERE and pick up a copy of Woman’s Day on sale now!