Photo by Cristian Barnett

Knowing how busy you are likely to be at this time of year, what with present buying, card writing and detangling the Christmas tree lights we thought we’d treat you to an early Christmas present. This thoughtful gift comes in the form of our old fashioned, no bake, chocolate rice crispy cake recipe.

This beauty is suitably named, “Rudolf’s Reward” and features in our first Honeybuns baking book. As with everything we make at Honeybuns, this chocolatey recipe is gluten free and we also show you how you can substitute ingredients to make it dairy free and vegan too.

Super easy chocolate recipe for kids

Perfect as a weekend “baking” project for the kids – you don’t even have to switch the oven on; just set the little scamps to work in the kitchen. Kids will love to make and decorate their own versions – please see our top tips section for some fun decorating ideas.

The resulting no bake cakes are satisfyingly rich. I make it as a tray bake and then keep it in the freezer – I then attempt to practice a bit of will power by cutting off slivers to accompany my morning cuppa. Divine. A sliver morphs into a chunky slice as the week progresses though…

Handmade, foodie and free from gift ideas

As well as tasting ridiculously good, this no fuss recipe is super versatile. To make gorgeous handmade gifts how about recycling some cute tins and filling them with these pretty cakes? Or buy some old fashioned film fronted white paper sweetie bags and tie up with ribbon or butcher’s string and add hand written luggage tags. Sustainable, affordable, easy and delicious. What’s not to love?

Christmas dessert inspiration for 2022

For a stunning centre piece pudding, simply stack the mini cakes up on a cake stand and smother in edible glitter, glace cherries and oooodles of molten chocolate. The challenge will be to not scoff the lot once you get a taste of just how good this Honeybuns archive classic is…..

How long do I need to set aside for this recipe?

Literally you will be done in ten minutes. Once the cakes are set out in their little paper cases they need to go in the fridge for an hour or so to chill and set firm.

What is life like running an artisan bakery at Christmas?

Busy!

Here at Honeybuns bakery HQ, the ovens are chocca block with brownies, shortbreads and flapjacks as orders arrive quicker than Donner and Blitzen. It’s all hands on deck as we bake, pack and dispatch gluten free and vegan baked treats all across the UK. Our team understand that this is our busiest time of the year and they really do step up to the challenge. We are all looking forward to our annual blow out Christmas meal and party.

Visitors are amazed to discover how tiny our bakery actually is. What we lack in size we make up for in experienced efficiency. After all – we’ve been baking gluten free tray bakes and slices for 25 years (next year!). Trade customers currently range from Waitrose cafes to Manchester City Football Club and, happily, they have bounced back since the lockdowns.

Can you buy Honeybuns cakes online for Christmas?

Yes, absolutely.

Our super loyal online customers regularly buy from us to either fill their freezers or to gift to loved ones. We’ve noticed a growing trend of sending imaginative alternatives to flowers this year. A selection box of hand made cakes is just that little bit different and special compared to the more usual flowers and chocolates. As the holidays draw closer, we’re getting more orders in for everything from hot chocolate kits to our fabulous festive cake stack kits. Do look out for our enewsletters and eshots which usually include a discount code to help with the overall cost of your order.

Last orders for Christmas are 1pm, Tuesday 20th December.

With all this festive activity, it won’t be long until Bobo (our super star Romanian rescue dog) dons his Christmas jumper. He loves dressing up to strut his stuff as he welcomes visitors to Naish Farm. Come and meet Bobo as we hold our final pop up shop of the year on Saturday, 3^rd December, 09.30-12 noon. The lights will be twinkly, the donkeys will be waiting for their carrots and we will have a feast of slightly wonky cakes at bargain prices ready waiting for you. It’s your last opportunity to fill your freezer up – we then take a break and reopen the pop up in March.

Useful recipe information before you start baking

MAKES: either 12 little cakes or double up the ingredients to make 1 tray bake.

FREE FROM: gluten free and nut free. Can also be made as a dairy free and vegan version.

STORAGE: cakes keep well in the fridge for 5 days and can be frozen for up to three months.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: access to a hob, saucepan, a tray bake tin of 12 x paper cake cases.

Gluten free ingredients for the cakes

125g butter
125g golden syrup
85g milk chocolate
40g dark chocolate
90g gluten free rice crispies

Gluten free ingredients for the topping

50g milk chocolate buttons
20g butter
20g dark chocolate
12 whole glace cherries

Step by step guide to making these devilishly delicious, full-on chocolaty treats

Place 12 pretty cake case on a baking tray
Pop the butter, golden syrup, milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a pan and melt over a medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Alternatively use a microwave.
Place the rice crispies in a bowl and pour your molten chocolaty mixture over the top. Stir thoroughly so all the rice crispies are coated.
Using two metal tablespoons, spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Press the mix in so you have a reasonably firm little cake- you don’t want them to be too airy- they need to have some substance to them.
For the topping, sprinkle the milk chocolate buttons over and press in slightly. Melt the remaining butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth.
Pop a glace cherry atop each cake and then drizzle the melted chocolate sauce over the top of each cake.
Pop in the fridge for at least one hour to set.

How do I make these more-ish rice crispy cakes dairy free and vegan?

Instead of butter you can use a vegan block style of “butter”. We’ve used Flora “butter” with good results.
There are plenty of vegan/dairy free milk and dark chocolate brands to choose from. We like Moo Free. Alternatively, you can use all dark chocolate instead.

Top easy, free from cake decorating ideas

For extra festive bling how about dipping your glace cherries in edible glitter?
White chocolate would work well as a drizzle too. Vegan white chocolate is widely available too.
Check out our blog guide to making easy and pretty edible cake decorations here.
Chocolate holly leaves are also super easy to make. Simply brush your leaves with molten chocolate and then freeze. Allow each coat to set- you’ll need to apply 3-4 coats of chocolate before carefully peeling the real holly leaf off.

Short on time and looking for stunning dessert ideas?

Check out our gorgeous tray bakes here. If you really want to splurge then treat your Christmas table to one of of our Celebration stacks which come complete with their own stand, mini fairy lights and cake toppings. Not only are these cake kits fun to assemble but they look gorgeous and taste even better. These beauties are only available online direct from our Dorset bakery. We can deliver UK wide and a hand written card can be included free of charge. You can also opt for our beautiful gift wrap as a deluxe added extra.

Advice on gluten free ingredients

Always remember to check on pack that a product is definitely gluten free. It may sound obvious but manufacturers can and do change recipe formulations and processes and you can get caught out if the allergens change. Some rice crispy brands have malt extract in them which is not gluten free.

We’d love to hear how you get on. If you make this recipe please tag us on Instagram or facebook using @HoneybunsBakery – we love seeing your photos.

If you have any questions- do get in touch via this blog in the comments section or facebook, email or telephone.

Emx

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You might also be interested in making your own gluten free Christmas cake decorations.