It’s that time of year again, and there’s nothing we love more than cooking up some tasty treats and enjoying a cocktail (or two) on a Summer’s afternoon with friends and family. This year we have shared with you two of our favourite cocktail recipes at the moment and two really easy, yummy desserts! Put some Christmas music on (our fave at the moment is ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ by Khruangbin), pour yourself a cocktail and enjoy the company of those closest to you.

Raw Vegan Spiced Christmas Cake

I’m always on the hunt for healthy festive options for my family. This one was a real winner and no bake time required! Just a little bit of forward planning as the nuts require activating and the cake needs to set in the fridge. I made this one 3 days before the shoot and just froze it… so easy!

Ingredients

For the crust

2 cups walnuts or almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of salt
6-8 fresh dates

For the filling

2 cups of cashews or macadamia nuts soaked over night
1 can of full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
1/2 cup coconut oil - melted
2-5 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground clove

For the topping

Raw chocolate - link to my recipe here
Fresh berries
Coconut flakes

Method:

Place the cashews or macadamia nuts in a bowl and soak overnight. Or at least 4 hrs. Add walnuts, cinnamon and salt into the blender and blend until it looks like a fine crumb. Then add the dates in one by one while still blending. Press the crust into the base of a cake tin and set in the freezer.

Rinse and drain cashews/macadamia nuts and place them in the blender. Add coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup and spices and blend until smooth and creamy. If it needs a little more of anything add it in… like a little more maple syrup.

Pour creamy filling onto the crust and set in the freezer for 4-6hrs. Once the cake has set remove the sides of the cake pan carefully. Pour the melted raw chocolate over the cake and decorate as you like. We used coconut flakes, cacao nibs and freeze dried berries.
Enjoy the creamy goodness :)
Note: You can really decorate it however you like. Pomegranate, fresh berries or figs…

Frosé

While I was in Miami for Miami Swim Week this year I fell in love with Frosé. It was so hot and balmy, the Frosé just really hit the spot after a long day. I just knew it would be a winner for our festive season here in Oz as the temperature is much the same and that's hot & hot… Enjoy this chilled delight.

Ingredients

1 bottle of rosé
1/2 cup sugar or rice malt syrup
1/2 cup water
1 hand full of raspberries
The juice of one orange

Method

Pour rosé onto a tray and freeze over night Mix sugar/syrup, water, berries and juice until sugar is dissolved. Blend syrup in a blender and strain into a jar. Cool the syrup in the fridge. Add frozen rosé to a blender with the chilled syrup and wiz for 30 seconds until the drink resembles a slurpy. Serve with a dehydrated orange or crumbled freeze dried raspberries… Watch out for brain freeze! Ha!

A Very Vegan Christmas Trifle To You

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the chocolate mousse

2 avocados flesh removed
4 bananas chopped and frozen
2 dates pitted
2 tablespoons of cocoa

For the coconut cream

2 x 400g coconut cream chilled
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Other layers

Fresh Fruit
Raspberries and cherries (mango and coconut works too)
Cacao nibs

Method

For the chocolate mousse, blend the avocado, dates, bananas and cocoa until smooth.

For the coconut cream, remove the cream on top that has separated by being chilled in the fridge. Blend in a chilled bowl until the cream is firm, add the maple syrup. It’s really important to keep the cream chilled and make sure the liquid milk is fully removed before blending as you will end up with drippy layers in your trifle, still delicious but not so pretty if you are using a glass jar.

For the fruit, chop the cherries to remove pips and leave the raspberries whole.

Assemble the layers in glass tumblers and sprinkle with cocoa nibs. Serve immediately or pop in fridge for up to a few hours.

The layers can be made separately a few days before and assembled when serving.

Enjoy!

Spiced Rum Christmas Cocktail

Not sure what to do with that left over rum from your rum balls? Well, I recently came across the most delicious spiced rum from the makers of the much loved Ink Gin, Husk Distillers. They use local sugar cane to our area in the making so you feel good knowing that your cocktail is supporting local farmers. Rum is rad and underrated… give it some love this Christmas.

Ingredients (serves 2 or one person twice)

2 peels of ginger
2 cardamon pods
1 cinnamon stick (plus extra to serve)
1 pear sliced long ways
500ml of Cloudy apple juice
1 lime juiced and zested
Spiced Rum

Add everything except the rum to the stove and simmer for 30mins until slightly reduced and really aromatic. Chill in the fridge. (If you want to have this warm you can just add a shot of rum and live your dreams).

Once chilled fill a tumbler with ice, add a shot of spiced rum, top with pre-made and chilled apple juice mixture and garnish as you please. Drink. Enjoy. Be Responsible. Merry Christmas!

Victoria and Emma x