Less than a month to go for Christmas! Are you excited? Have you got your Christmas menu sorted out or are you looking for something new to try this year? Or are you like me, saving the ‘cream’ of the crop for the big day? I turn to cream based desserts every time I need something outrageously delicious, light and without toiling away in the kitchen for hours. Because, who doesn’t like a fluffy, creamy dessert that melts away like silk in the mouth? If cream is the hero of my dessert, it has to be the best! I want a range of creams that are versatile, don’t curdle, whip up quickly, hold their shape while decorating and, most importantly, taste special. That cream is Bulla!

Bulla Dairy Foods is one of Australia’s oldest family owned dairy companies, proudly making dairy for six generations. With more than 100 years of expertise in making dairy, Bulla has every kind of cream in its product range that one could imagine for their cooking, baking or decorating needs. All of Bulla’s products are made from the freshest milk and creams. The product range includes cooking cream, sour cream, whipping cream, dollop cream and the award winning Bulla Crème Fraîche.

I use them all the time in my kitchen but, the Bulla Whipping Cream, Bulla Dollop Cream and Bulla Crème Fraîche are my absolute favourites. How amazing is it when the fillings and frosting that are the essence of your dessert are ready in just a few minutes. It makes life so much easier! I also love that they are easy to flavour and the consistency never changes no matter what I add to them.

Cream-based desserts are lighter on the palate. With a warm Christmas in the southern hemisphere, guests generally prefer a light, cold dessert to a rich pudding or a heavy cheesecake. Cream is also far quicker and simpler to deal with as it takes up flavours with ease and there is no end to the creative ways it can be presented. With that in mind I’ve created four recipes for you that will not only look stunning with minimal effort but also blow away your taste buds as well. Whether you are a pro in the kitchen or trying your hand at desserts for the first time, these desserts have got you covered.

I’ve played around with rose water and ginger mixing them into the cream in the first two recipes and these can be made ahead of time. The next two recipes can be whipped up on the same day of serving and are pretty simple to make.

Raspberry And Rosewater Cake
Layers of Raspberry Cake with rosewater infused cream and candied ginger, topped with a white chocolate glaze.
Makes a 3-layered, 6 inch round cake

Recipe:
Raspberry Cake
250 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs

21/2 cups self-raising flour
2/3 cups milk
1 punnet fresh raspberries
¼ cup candied ginger

Rosewater Simple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp Rose water

Rosewater Cream
300 ml Bulla Whipping Cream
¼ cup caster sugar
11/2 tsp rosewater
2-3 drops Pink food colouring (optional)

White chocolate glaze
100 g white chocolate
3 tbsp Bulla Whipping Cream
1-2 drops pink food colour

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line the bases of 3, 6 inch round cake pans with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, caster sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating to combine. Add half the flour. Stir to combine. Add the remaining flour and the milk. Stir to combine.

Divide mixture uniformly between prepared pans. Divide the raspberries and candied ginger between the pans and press down into the batter. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the Rosewater simple syrup : Bring the water and sugar to a boil over low heat. Remove from heat when sugar dissolves. Let cool and add the rosewater.

To make the white chocolate glaze: Heat the white chocolate and heavy cream over very low heat in a small saucepan. When cream just reaches boiling point, remove from heat and leave aside. Stir with a spoon to make a smooth mix. Add the food colour and stir to blend. Cool slightly before using.

To make the rosewater cream : Chill the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer for 20 min. in the refrigerator or 5 min. in the freezer. Pour Bulla Whipping Cream into the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until it just starts to thicken. Slow the speed down to medium and gradually pour in the sugar. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.

Add the rosewater and food colour (if using) and continue to whisk by hand until the cream is smooth, and stiff peaks form. The cream will stand up straight when the whisk is raised. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

To assemble : Once the cake layers are completely cool, start assembling..
On a cake plate or stand, spread a little fresh cream frosting in the centre and place one layer of the cake (so that the cake does not move about while frosting). Spread about 1/2 a cup of the rosewater frosting. Place the second layer. Repeat. Place the last layer upside down (so you get a flat top). Spread frosting on the top and sides. If you want it to look like a naked cake, a thin layer of frosting is good enough.
Stick the cake into the refrigerator for 15-20 mins.
Make the white chocolate glaze 5 minutes before you take the cake out from the fridge. Once the ganache is cool, but still flowing freely when you lift it with a spoon, spoon it onto the cake slowly. Be gentle on the edges to create the drippy effect
Decorate with meringues, raspberries and fresh flowers. If you are using fresh flowers, make sure you cover the stems in baking paper before inserting them into the cake.

Peach Jelly, Panettone And Ginger Cream Trifle
Layers of fresh peaches in jelly, crumbled Panettone, ginger infused cream and shaved white chocolate.
Serves 6-8

Recipe:
3 cups apple or orange juice (or juice of your choice)
4 tsp powdered gelatine
3-4 fresh peaches, stoned and cut into wedges
2x 300 ml Bulla Whipping Cream
½ cup caster sugar
11/2 tsp powdered ginger
Store bought Panettone, 800 g (you will need only half), cut into squares
200g white chocolate blocks, shaved

Method:
Place the gelatine and juice together in a medium saucepan and leave aside for 5 minutes for the gelatine to bloom. Warm the mixture over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until the gelatine dissolves completely. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Pour into a trifle bowl. Place the peaches into the jelly mixture. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until set.

Meanwhile pour Bulla Whipping Cream into a bowl that has been chilled in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Using a hand mixer or an electric mixer whisk on medium until it starts to thicken. Gradually add the sugar and powdered ginger and whisk on low speed till stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the cream until needed.

Once the jelly has set completely, layer the Panettone squares over the jelly. Pipe 2 layers of rosettes of ginger infused cream (or spoon the cream). Top with shaved white chocolate.

Salted Honey And Roasted Hazelnut Eton Mess
Crunchy Meringue, salted honey, roasted hazelnuts and dollop cream
Serves 4

Recipe:
6 Store bought meringue nests
300 ml Bulla Dollop Cream
½ cup hazelnuts, roasted
¼ cup good quality honey
½ tsp fleur de sel (or sea salt

Method :
Place the honey and fleur de sel in a small saucepan and warm slightly. Remove the pan from heat and leave aside until needed.
Roughly crumble the meringue and divide them among 4 serving glasses. Top with half the dollop cream, roasted hazelnuts and honey. Repeat the layers until the top is reached.

Profiteroles with Cinnamon Crème Fraiche and Berries
Profiteroles filled with Cinnamon infused Crème Fraiche, dipped in white chocolate ganache and served with red berries.
Makes 15

Recipe :
60 g butter, chopped
3/4 cup (185 ml) water
3/4 cup (115 g) plain flour
3 eggs
100 white chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp Bulla Thickened Cream
Fresh berries, to serve

Cinnamon Crème  Fraîche Cream

200 ml Bulla Whipping Cream,
¼ cup caster sugar
4 tbsp Bulla Crème Fraiche
111/2 tsp powdered cinnamon

Method :
To make the profiteroles : Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (180 degrees C for fan-forced). Line a baking tray with non-stick  paper.

Heat the butter and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from heat. Sift in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to beat for 1-2 minutes or until mixture comes away from side of pan. Transfer mixture to a heatproof bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally, to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is thick and glossy.

Pipe the mixture or place spoonfuls of mixture on the prepared baking tray 3 cm apart from each other. Use wet hands to pat down any peaks of dough. Sprinkle trays with water to create steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Turn off the oven. Use a knife to pierce the base of each puff. Place the profiteroles in oven for 20 minutes to dry out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the Cinnamon Crème Fraiche Filling : Pour Bulla Whipping Cream into a bowl that has been chilled in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Using a hand mixer or an electric mixer whisk on medium until it starts to thicken. Gradually add the sugar and Bulla Crème Fraîche and whisk on low speed till stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the cream until needed.

To make the white chocolate ganache: Heat the white chocolate and heavy cream over very low heat in a small saucepan. When cream just reaches boiling point, remove from heat and leave aside. Stir with a spoon to make a smooth mix.

To assemble, using a serrated knife, slice through the top third of the choux puff. Leave the top aside. Pipe or fill up the base with cinnamon infused Crème Fraîche. Put the top back. Dip the tops in white chocolate ganache. Top with fresh berries and sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining profiteroles.

This post is brought to you by Bulla Dairy Foods. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine.