Raw coconut & cherry Christmas pudding

You've got the guests coming over for lunch tomorrow and you've just found out one of them is Vegan another needs gluten free, but you have limited time to prepare the amazing dessert you promised everyone you'd make.

This dessert ticks all of the boxes. You can begin the night before by soaking the nuts, and the rest can be completed easily in the morning in 20 minutes. It tastes like a cherry ripe, but best of all, no one will know it's so good for them.

Ingredients:

PUDDING

• 150g raw hazelnuts, soaked in cold water overnight

• 150g raw cashews, soaked in cold water overnight

• 80ml cherry juice

• 150ml coconut nectar

• 170ml coconut oil

• 90g desiccated coconut

• 230g frozen raspberries

• 70g raw cacao powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 drop of Cinnamon essential oil

• 1 tsp allspice

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp cloves

• Finely grated zest of an orange or 1 drop of Wild Orange essential oil

• 2 x 45g Pana Chocolate sour cherry & vanilla bars, chopped

• 500g pitted fresh cherries, plus extra cherries to serve

ICING

• 125ml chilled coconut cream

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• Shredded coconut, to serve

Method:

1. Begin this recipe a day ahead by soaking the nuts in cold water overnight.

2. Grease and line a 1L (4 cup) pudding basin with plastic wrap, leaving 10cm to hang over the side. If you don't have a pudding basin, a loaf tin will work just as well.

3. Drain the nuts and rinse under cold running water. Place hazelnuts and cashews in a food processor with the cherry juice and pulverise to a paste (if using a Thermomix, chop on speed 9 for 20 seconds).

4. Add coconut nectar, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, raspberries, cacao, spices, orange zest and half the Pana Chocolate, and chop until well combine. Transfer to a bowl and fold through the cherries and remaining Pana Chocolate.

5. Spread into pudding basin and cover with overhanging plastic wrap. Freeze for 2 hours if you plan to serve it straight away or refrigerate until firm (you can make this 5 days before serving).

5. To serve, lightly whisk coconut cream and vanilla paste in a bowl until slightly thickened (Thermomix - use butterfly, speed 4, until desired consistency). Invert pudding onto a serving dish and drizzle with coconut cream mixture. Top with extra fresh cherries and shredded coconut.

Serves a festive crowd.

Enjoy!

The Enchantress