Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes for meringues only
Servings: a crowd

Notes on the dessert

The ingredients

• Delft Butchery stocks the Speculaas kruiden (the spice) as well as the Biscoff ingredients

• Use the CRUNCHY Lotus Biscoff spread. Although both the smooth and the crunchy spread can be microwaved and drizzled or poured over desserts, I like a puffy textured pudding (more trifle-like for Christmas) and prefer to just dollop spoonfuls over or in-between for a crunchy texture. It’s very pricey and you can get away with using only the Speculaas spice in the filling.  

• Buy the ready-made 750g Lotus Biscoff Crumble from Tasko Sweets if you plan on making this often. It has a perfect rough texture and works out cheaper.
• A note on the cream:  Use Clover Ultra – pasteurized cream for folding through dessert fillings but use a standard pasteurized cream like Woolworth’s whipping as it is whiter. Long life cream whipped sometimes splits as a dessert topping-especially the next day.

The assembly

• I dislike the “mousse” texture when whipped cream is folded through the filling, so I re-worked the dessert from the original 500ml whipped cream folded through 2 blocks of cream cheese. My friends found no fault but I much prefer a rich silky centre and the tang that cottage cheese adds.

• A little melted butter can be mixed through some of the crumbs to make a delicious crumble topping, however it’s not necessary to add butter for the base as it tends to set too hard

• The spice/Kruiden can be added to everything-even mix through caramel sauce or caramel treat and serve with ice cream.
• If you are going away and have no kitchen equipment, or you are expecting to have no power use the second recipe option.

• For a low-fat version use 2 fat-free smooth cottage cheese and 1 condensed milk. Only use the spice and layer and decorate with meringues.

• For a lower-in-sugar leave this page now or get help.

Speculaas Meringue Christmas pudding

250g Lotus Biscoff biscuits roughly blitzed and place in the bottom of a glass bowl. Retain a handful for the top.

Filling

1 block Philadelphia cream cheese

1 can condensed milk

1 tub Mascarpone

1 tub fat-free smooth cottage cheese

1 teaspoon Spekulaas Kruiden

Topping

½ jar Biscoff CRUNCHY

Speculaas meringues

Optional

250ml white whipping cream

method

• Start by whipping/blending the Philadelphia cream cheese and adding the remaining ingredients (except the Biscoff spread) slowly so that no lumps form.
• Dollop the mixture on top of the biscuits, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the pudding from the fridge.
• Dollop spoonfuls of the Biscoff crunchy on top or in-between the Speculaas meringues
• Alternatively layer a few meringues through the filling. Lightly whip 1 tub (250ml) of cream, place in a disposable piping bag and snip the end. Pipe little clouds of cream on top and scatter with the remaining crumbs.

Speculaas meringues

1 portion COOK Meringues with added 1 teaspoon Speculaas Kruiden.

Pipe small meringues

Bake at 130 ˚C for 45 minutes

The recipe can be halved if you do not have a large oven ( this fills 2 trays in a Smeg oven)

Speculaas Meringue Christmas pudding (option 2-with no electricity or kitchen equipment)

1 bag Bolletjie Kruidnoten from Delft (a bag of little spicy Speculaas button biscuits- perfect to sprinkle at the bottom or top of your dessert).

Filling

2 tubs smooth cottage cheese

1 tub mascarpone

1 can condensed milk

1 teaspoon Speculaas

Store-bought meringues

• Mix the filling ingredients by hand-starting with the mascarpone (bringing it to room temperature will make this easier to smooth out).
• Dollop on top of the biscuits and refrigerate overnight.
• To serve, layer with the store-bought meringues.