Christmas is the sweetest time of the year in the Cooking with Nana Ling kitchen. Here, I'm sharing recipes for all the Australian Christmas desserts we know and love – and a few more you might like to add to your festive repertoire.
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Christmas Classics
1. Pavlova
Is it even Christmas in Australia without this classic dessert? It's fabulous any day of the year, but pavlova seems to taste even better on Christmas Day. Get the classic pavlova recipe or check out the pavlova grazing board.
2. Trifle
Trifle is another Christmas dessert that's packed with sweet flavours and nostalgia. It's something you make up the day before Christmas, so there's nothing to do but enjoy it on the big day! I have a traditional trifle recipe, a mini trifle recipe, a pineapple trifle recipe and a chocolate trifle recipe – which one do you fancy?
3. Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding is a tradition that might not be quite suited to the warm Aussie Christmas days we enjoy, but it's a firmly established one in many homes. The pictured pudding is the traditional boiled pudding my family has always enjoyed – serve it with real custard! I also have recipes for a simple Sago Plum Pudding, Nana Ling's Carrot Christmas Pudding and a Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cake.
4. Fruit Mince Pies
Enjoying a mince pie for 12 days from Christmas day was believed to bring happiness for the following 12 months back in the middle ages! These sweet little pastries are still associated with Christmas. Just remember that you need to make up the fruit mince about 2 weeks out to enjoy a fruit mince pie at Christmas time.
5. White Christmas
This is the only type of White Christmas we get to enjoy in Australia – the sweet slice version. This recipe is the traditional one made with copha and powdered milk – and it's packed with coconut, rice bubbles and glace cherries. Pure Christmas magic!
6. Rum Balls
Another Christmas classic from way back. Rum Balls are soft and delicious balls of chocolate-y and rum infused bliss. They last a couple of weeks in the fridge and months in the freezer making them the perfect make-ahead Xmas treat.
Easy Christmas Desserts
7. Christmas Crack
Make it up in minutes and, once set, crack it into pieces you can enjoy during the silly season. Christmas Crack is the perfect balance of salty and sweet and will have you coming back for more and handing out the recipe.
8. Mixed Fruit Slice
Forgot to make a Christmas Cake? No time to make one? Made with just 3 ingredients, this Fruit Slice is the perfect substitute for Christmas Cake. It's all done and dusted in a little more than half an hour. That's a Christmas win!
9. Ambrosia Salad
It's one of the most nostalgia-filled desserts and also one of the most simplest to prepare. Ambrosia Salad can be made the day before, making it perfect for the Christmas planners.
10. Tim Tam Balls
Grab a packet when they're on sale and roll up these very Aussie Christmas treats in 10 minutes. Tim Tam Balls are a real Christmas crowd pleaser.
11. Rocky Road
Rocky Road is not only easy but extremely versatile (and, of course, delicious)! Throw the ingredients together and have a holly, jolly Christmas.
Christmas Cakes
12. Christmas Fruit Cake
Sometimes, all you need is a deliciously rich traditional Christmas Cake. Serve it with Brandy Butter to make it extra special.
13. Cherry Cake
We are so lucky in Australia that Christmas coincides with cherry season. Nana Ling's very pretty Cherry Cake is the perfect way to showcase this festive fruit on the Christmas table.
14. Boiled Fruit Cake
If you haven't soaked your fruit for a traditional Christmas Cake and now don't have time to prepare, don't fear. A Boiled Fruit Cake speeds up the plumping of the fruit and development of flavours to deliver a rich and delicious cake.
15. Cinnamon Loaf
Fancy something a little different this Christmas? This Cinnamon Loaf is sweet, spicy and tender. It's a special recipe that was handwritten by Nana Ling a few days before Christmas Day in 1939.
16. Chocolate (Christmas Pudding) Cake
A gorgeous looking Christmas Pudding that's actually a chocolate cake! This recipe for Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cake brings together two Christmas favourites.
Warm Weather Favourites
17. Festive Fruit Salad
These Festive Fruit Cups make the most of Australia's warm summer Christmas weather with seasonal fruit. These lovely individual desserts add plenty of festive cheer to your Christmas celebrations.
18. Mango Pudding
Is there anything better than the tropical flavours of mango? Yes, there is! Meet this Mango Pudding recipe. Perfect for a hot Christmas day.
Gift-able Treats
19. Almond Bread
Almond Bread lasts for up to 4 weeks if stored in an airtight container. Perfect with a Xmas cuppa, it's also a perfectly gift-able treat.
20. Mini Christmas Cakes
These Mini Christmas Cakes make a lovely edible gift. Bake them up, ice them and parcel them up for your nearest and dearest.
21. Choc Cherry Log
Your friends will love you forever if you make their holiday season special with this Choc Cherry Log. The recipe is simple and makes 4 logs – you just need to decide who to gift them to.
22. Scottish Tablet
Scottish Tablet might just be the sweetest treat around. Make someone's Christmas time extra special with a small plate of this delicious dleight.
Festive Favourites for Kids
23. Flummery
It's soft, sweet and can be decorated for special occasions. Flummery is a blast from the past that will add that extra bit of magic to the kids' Christmas.
24. Broken Glass Jelly
The big kids may just love this one as much as the little ones. Broken Glass Jelly is a showstopper of a dessert that reminds us of Christmases past.
25. Stained Glass Cookies
Stained Glass Cookies are a beautiful Christmas biscuit. Watch the kids peek through the "stained glass" before gobbling them down.
Have I missed your favourite Aussie Christmas dessert?
Add your idea in the comments below! I plan to regularly update this post to make it the best list of Aussie Xmas Desserts around.
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Denysse Sutton
Lobby, I love all your recipes. It's great to see that the old traditional recipes are still popular. Brings back lots of memories. My grandmother was a great cook, living on a farm she had lots to cook for eg, shearers etc. Keep up your great work.
Libby Hakim
So pleased to hear that! Thanks for the lovely feedback, Denysse 🙂