Christmas Tiffin: A Festive No-Bake Fridge Cake

Squares of Christmas tiffin piled on a plate.

5 from 1 vote

Christmas Tiffin: A Festive No-Bake Fridge Cake

Embrace the festive spirit with this recipe for Christmas tiffin. It's a rich no-bake fridge cake and is packed with Scottish shortbread, rum soaked raisins, chewy cranberries and warm spices. A few pretzels give crunch and a burst of saltiness to counteract some of the sweetness. To finish it off, it's topped with a layer of smooth creamy chocolate.

Prep Time20

Cook Time0

Setting Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Afternoon Tea, Gift, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: chocolate, cranberries, no-bake, pretzels, raisins, rum, shortbread, tiffin

Servings: slices

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

50 g raisins
50 ml rum brandy and whisky are both good substitutes - or use orange juice instead
150 g unsalted butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
25 g dark brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp mixed spice or festive spices of your choice (I used ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
200 g shortbread biscuits
50 g mini pretzels
50 g dried cranberries
100 g dark chocolate (I used 80% cocoa solids) - chopped
100 g milk chocolate (I used 35% cocoa solids) - chopped
Festive sprinkles

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Soak the raisins in the rum, or liquid of your choice for at least two hours, overnight if you can. I have a jar of rum soaked raisins permanently on the go for just such occasions as this.
50 g raisins, 50 ml rum
Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat together with the syrup, sugar, cocoa and spices. Stir to ensure everything is well mixed and there are no lumps, then remove from the heat.
150 g unsalted butter, 3 tbsp golden syrup, 25 g dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp mixed spice
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, bash the shortbread into rough crumbs with a few larger pieces remaining. A pestle or the end of a rolling pin are good for this.
200 g shortbread biscuits
Add the pretzels to the bowl and roughly break them up. The afore mentioned tools are good for this too.
50 g mini pretzels
Add the cranberries to the bowl and give a good stir.
50 g dried cranberries
Pour the melted butter mix into the bowl and stir. Add the rum soaked raisins together with any leftover liquid and stir again.
Scrape the mixture into a lined 20cm (8 inch) square tin. Press it down as evenly as you can with the back of a spoon.
Leave in a cool place to start setting.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of nearly boiling water. Stir to mix the chocolates and ensure it's all melted.
100 g dark chocolate, 100 g milk chocolate
Pour over the tiffin in the tin. Tilt the tin until the top is completely covered. Bang the tin down on the counter top a couple of times to ensure an even covering.
Decorate with festive sprinkles, if liked.
Festive sprinkles
Leave to set in a cool place for at least two hours. I left mine overnight.
Once set, cut the tiffin into sixteen equal squares using a warm sharp knife.

Notes

If going down the orange juice route, you might want to add some finely grated orange zest to the mix too. If you do this, make sure your orange is unwaxed and preferably organic.

To prevent the chocolate from cracking when you cut the tiffin, use a hot knife. Place the knife into a tall container of just boiled water. Wipe it dry with a tea towel or piece of kitchen towel then slice carefully without putting to much pressure on the tiffin. Repeat after each cut.

Will keep in an airtight tin for five days.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition