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Christmas cake stuffing

Name: Christmas cake stuffing recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 40.00 ml extra virgin olive oil; 100g thinly sliced pancetta, cut into 1cm-wide long strips; 1 onion, finely chopped; 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 20.00 ml finely chopped thyme; 40.00 ml brandy; 310ml chicken stock; 300g leftover bread, cut into 2cm pieces; 100g finely chopped prunes; 65g whole dried cranberries; 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice; 75g pecans, chopped; 82.50 ml finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 30g butter, chopped

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by Lucy Nunes

Delicious Team

Nov 19, 2025

You don’t have to roast a whole chook or turkey to enjoy some stuffing. Here we’ve made it separately, so you can enjoy it at any time, and we’ve added all the yummy ingredients people love in Christmas fruit cakes: dried fruit, spices and nuts. Oh, and don’t worry – we didn’t forget the grog!

You’ll need a 4-cup (1L) shallow baking dish for this recipe.

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
100g thinly sliced pancetta, cut into 1cm-wide long strips
1 onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbs finely chopped thyme
2 tbs brandy
1 1/4 cups (310ml) chicken stock
300g leftover bread, cut into 2cm pieces
100g finely chopped prunes
65g whole dried cranberries
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
75g pecans, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
30g butter, chopped

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced and grease a 4-cup (1L) shallow baking dish.
2.

Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft and starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add brandy and cook for 30 seconds, until evaporated. Add stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add bread, dried fruit, spice and pecans. Stir and stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, add parsley, then stir, pressing down on the soft bread, to combine and slightly break down the bread.
3.

Transfer mixture to the prepared pan, dot with butter and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden, then serve.