Description
This indulgent Chocolate Caramel Gingerbread Pie combines a spiced gingerbread crust with a rich caramel and dark chocolate filling. Adorned with delicate royal icing snowflakes, this pie is a festive showstopper perfect for holiday celebrations or any occasion that calls for a comforting and impressive dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Caramel Chocolate Filling
- 380g can caramel top ‘n’ fill
- 2 eggs
- 185ml (3/4 cup) Bulla Cooking Cream
- 100g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
Gingerbread Dough
- 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
- 50g butter
- 340g (2 1/4 cups) plain flour
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
Royal Icing and Decoration
- 330g packet royal icing
- 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice, strained
Instructions
- Make the gingerbread syrup: Place brown sugar, golden syrup, and butter into a saucepan over low heat. Cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly for 5 minutes.
- Prepare the gingerbread dough: In a large bowl, combine plain flour, self-raising flour, ground ginger, mixed spice, ground cloves, and bicarbonate of soda. Add the cooled syrup mixture and lightly whisked egg. Stir until combined, then turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide dough into two portions, shape into discs, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Prepare pie base: Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan forced). Grease a 23cm pie dish with a small lip. Roll out one portion of dough on lightly floured baking paper to 3-4mm thickness. Flip dough over rolling pin, remove paper, and line the pie dish with the dough without stretching it. Trim edges and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Blind bake the pie crust: Place pie dish on a baking tray, line with baking paper, and fill with pastry weights or rice. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove weights and paper, carefully foil-wrap the edges of the pastry to prevent burning, and bake an additional 10 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare and bake the filling: In a large bowl, whisk caramel until smooth. Add eggs and cooking cream and combine thoroughly. Whisk in melted chocolate. Pour filling into the prepared pastry case. Reapply foil around pastry edges to prevent burning. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is just set. Allow to cool completely.
- Make gingerbread snowflakes: Roll out remaining dough on lightly floured baking paper to 3-4mm thick. Use assorted snowflake cutters to cut shapes. Place snowflakes on baking trays lined with baking paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and crisp. Cool on trays.
- Prepare royal icing: In a large bowl, combine royal icing and lemon juice. Whisk for 3-5 minutes or until icing thickens and increases in volume. If too stiff to pipe, add a little hot water and whisk again to loosen. Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a 1-2mm plain nozzle. Decorate cooled snowflakes and cover remaining icing surface with plastic wrap. Let snowflakes set for 3-4 hours.
- Assemble decoration: Whisk the remaining royal icing until smooth. Use it to secure the decorated snowflakes around the cooled pie’s surface, completing the festive look.
Notes
- Allow the pie to cool completely before decorating to prevent melting the royal icing.
- Blind baking the crust with weights prevents the base from puffing up and ensures even baking.
- Use fresh lemon juice in the royal icing to help it set with a pleasant tang.
- You can substitute dark chocolate with semi-sweet if preferred, but dark chocolate offers a richer flavor.
- Store leftover pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of pie)
- Calories: 460 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
