An ode to Australia's most underrated Christmas dessert: The chocolate ripple cake
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, the children are squealing while you're cooking with your spouse.
The ham is glazed with maple, the potatoes have been chopped, but amid the chaos, you stop and think – suddenly, your heart drops.
"We forget dessert," you cry, as the children run and play. "Don't worry, I've got it!" Dad says to try and save the day.
The Chocolate ripple cake is incredible for so many reasons, mainly because you don't actually have to bake anything to make it. Getty
He whips out a bag of Choc Ripple biscuits, grabs a jar of thickened cream, he blends until it's thick – after all, the biscuits need to stick.
He stacks the biscuits together, building a chocolate-rippled bridge; it softens overnight, after being popped into the fridge.
OK, so maybe that's not exactly how the Chocolate Ripple Cake came to be, but it's pretty damn close to how it became a staple of Aussie families' Christmas feasts.
The cake is incredible for so many reasons, mainly because you don't actually have to bake anything to make it.
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Simply blend the cream and slather it onto the biscuit, then stack them together in any shaped baking tin you like. Youtube/Arnotts
It literally uses two ingredients: Arnott's Choc Ripple biscuits and a jar of thickened cream.
Simply blend the cream and slather it onto each biscuit, then stack them together in any shaped baking tin you like.
Make sure every side and angle of the biscuit arrangement is covered in cream and then pop it in the fridge.
The cream softens the biscuit overnight and turns into a sponge cake-like consistency, creating a delicious and effortless cake.
Re-ice it with a new layer of cream in the morning, chuck some berries on top and then it's done!
I vividly remember the first year my sister, my dad and I made the cake while my mum cooked the pasta.
We landed on a wreath-style cake, stacking the biscuits so they bent into a circle. You can also shape it into a simple log.
The next day, the cake was a hit, with one great-aunty congratulating my mum, saying it was beautiful.
The cream softens the biscuit into a sponge-like consistency, creating a delicious and effortless cake. Youtube/Arnott's
My family has landed on a wreath-style cake, stacking the biscuits so they bend into a circle. Youtube/Arnotts
My mum replied, explaining that actually, her husband had made the cake.
I remember my great-aunt started to laugh, in disbelief that a man could have created such a tasty dessert.
That's the other amazing thing about the ripple cake – anyone can make it!
It's budget-friendly, time-efficient, easy and tasty. You literally cannot fault it.
I love the ripple cake so much that when I had the chance to interview celebrity chef Curtis Stone, I sheepishly asked him if he had heard of it.
To my surprise, he hadn't – which meant it was my responsibility to tell him about it.
Even he confessed it sounded delicious, so don't just take it from me!
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