Australia shares both British and European heritage, creating a strong bond with the tradition of celebrating Christmas in colder climates. Still, as Australians celebrate the holidays during summer, there has always been a trend of combining barbecues and seafood with classic holiday desserts.
Tradition, nonetheless, still plays a big part in the Christmas festivities in Australia and often includes a whole feast of traditional iconic desserts, such as Pavlova, rum balls, crackles and Christmas puddings.
These desserts are not only a visual treat to the eyes but also a delightful treat to your taste buds. The host of desserts that Australia has to offer is ever-growing, so in this article, we have hand-picked the most beloved Aussie Christmas desserts to revivify the holiday spirits!
Louise cake - a New Zealand originated and Australian favourite which is quite easily a party must-have in any Aussie household for any occasion. What's unique about this dessert is its texture, flavour and taste, which sits deliciously between biscuits and pastries.
Louise cakes are baked in pans and served in square slices, consisting of a short pie crust, raspberry jam and crispy coconut meringue, best filled with other Christmas bite-sized snacks. Traditionally, Louise cakes are made with raspberry jam, but to bring out the holiday spirit, you can use any jam you like! Serve with freshly whipped cream, a handful of fresh raspberries and a coconut Swiss meringue topping for crumbly goodness with multilayered textures and flavours!
Pavlova, the velvety, creamy dessert made from crispy meringue shells topped with whipped cream and fruit, is the quintessential Aussie.
Despite originating from New Zealand, Pavlovas are synonymous with Australia's holiday feast, as much as shrimp on the barbecue. The meringue has a perfectly crispy crust with a soft and chewy marshmallow filling. The trick of this dessert recipe is to bake on low heat and let everything cool after turning off the oven to dry the crust.
Traditionally, Pavlova is served with whipped cream and fresh berries. The classic recipe uses a super creamy combination of passion fruit curd and mascarpone for the iconic flavour- super crisp, light and creamy on the outside with fruity goodness and marshmallow fluffiness. With this simple recipe, it is one of the desserts served at any Christmas party and summertime holiday celebrations.
We bet you'd love to try this dessert with an Aussie twist on Christmas, especially if you're a pecan pie lover. Made with the same general idea, you have a dough base and a nutty, crispy, chewy filling.
This chocolate macadamia nut tart is an absolute sensory Christmas treat with the crunch of rich macadamia nuts combined with a warm caramel layer sprinkled with ginger flakes while topped with velvety chocolate ganache.
Salted honey can be a perfect and wonderfully sweet substitute for salted caramel if you want a healthier alternative. After just 20 minutes of preparation, this tart needs about 45 minutes in the oven.
We recommend toasting your nuts before adding them to the filling to get the classic, enhanced flavour and crunch. You can serve the tart as it is or with vanilla or pistachio ice cream.
You cannot possibly think of Aussie holiday treats without lamington. Lamington is often referred to as "Australia's national cake". The National Trust of Queensland has even named the lamington one of Australia's favourite icons. This square cake is topped with chocolate icing and desiccated coconut. Sometimes it has two halves with a layer of cream or jam in the middle. The sponge cake centre has to be one of the easiest homemade holiday cakes you've made.
This iconic traditional Australian sponge and fluffy pastry is filled with cream and jam, coated in a chocolate glaze and rolled in coconut. They are soft, buttery and delicious, with a hint of rich chocolate flavour- which is the perfect Christmas dessert feast. Plus, even though the process can be a little messy, it's super fun to roll each slice in a chocolate sauce and coconut drizzles. They freeze very well, so you can bake, serve, freeze, and defrost in batches when you need to satisfy your next sweet craving.
Australians love to eat, especially festive treats like classic chocolate crackle. Dating back to 1937, chocolate crackles have long been part of all Australian celebrations, including Christmas, due to their quick, easy and delicious recipe.
To make this crispy chocolatey goodness, all you need is mixed cocoa, coconut oil, sugar, crispy rice and breakfast cereal together, then transfer to a pancake pan before placing it in the refrigerator.
You can consider chocolate crackles as the Australian equivalent of American peanut butter and jelly. Since they require no baking, they are an excellent Christmas dessert choice for kids with super quick preparation.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in Australia without the rum balls. Rum balls are quite literally the quintessential Christmas treat. Sweet, rum-flavoured treats rolled in toasted coconut are among the annual customs that signal the season's arrival. It perfectly serves as an edible gift, afternoon snack or light dessert. There's a lot to love about classic rums.
They are so easy to make, no baking required, they can be made in advance, and they are really delicious- guaranteed to satisfy sweet tooth lovers. These classic rum balls are made with crushed vanilla sponge, toasted pecans, rum and bourbon. Once formed, they are rolled in sugar for an extra layer of sweetness. Easily one of our favourite Aussie Christmas desserts out there!
Perfect for celebrations or Christmas, this British dessert is a household name in Australia. This traditional Christmas dessert is absolutely divine, with fresh strawberry and raspberry jelly, creamy mascarpone custard, and sherry-soaked sponge cake. It is loaded with the iconic custard, ice cream and jelly for an Australian snack to impress!
There's something about the concoction of custard and cream paired with jellies and fruit tarts that makes you just want to eat bowl after bowl.
While this is a gorgeous dessert on the table, it couldn't be easier to make at home. Separate layers of cake, custard and jelly make up this delicious English dessert. Refrigerate at least three hours before serving to allow all ingredients to solidify.
Last but not least, we have boozy aromatic, delicious traditional plum pudding, also known as Christmas pudding, in this list, which is almost synonymous with Christmas in Australia. Plum pudding, as it is also known, has a long and prominent history, at least as early as the 17th century.
The main ingredients are suspended in a matrix of eggs, breadcrumbs, grated suet and flour - and a healthy dose of alcohol, or sometimes rum or sherry. Aromatic spices are required for other fruits - dried grapes, sultanas, grapes, and so on.
This alcoholic dessert is traditionally served with custard and brandy butter. While you welcome it on Christmas Day, it's indeed a dessert for all seasons. Another fun tradition with plum pud is everyone in the family has to stir the pudding once for good luck. This pudding is best served when made a year in advance and left to cool.
Australia's love for traditional desserts is nothing new, as the country is known not only for its wide variety of barbecue and delicious baked goods but also for its range of traditional sweets and some of Australia's finest desserts.
As Christmas pudding happens to be the most iconic holiday dessert, it is customary to prepare the pudding at the beginning of the year before Christmas - and use it the following year. But if you haven't prepared this boozy goodness- don't worry! You can simply order a fresh batch of traditional Christmas pudding online infused with aromatic spices, dry fruits and toasted nuts as fresh as home-baked can get!
