Would you mix a packet of Kingston biscuits with a tin of peaches and bake it just to see what happens? Ex-MasterChef contestant Ash Davey did just that on Instagram and a new viral recipe – and nationwide supermarket shortages of the retro Arnott’s biscuit – ensued.

It might sound like an unexpected combination, but the social-sphere is collectively losing it over videos of home cooks not only making and sharing the dish, but suggesting variations too.

The “recipe” isn’t just two ingredients either, it’s also just two steps.

• Fill a baking dish with a layer of Kingston biscuits and pour over tin of peaches with their juice.
• Bake at 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) for about 25 minutes, or until bubbling and golden and serve.

Why it works

On the recipe front, the reason it works is simple. The hard work of the biscuit making has been done for you – which creates the “pudding” base – and the fruit has already been prepped and likely sweetened. So, when you pour a sweet, juicy liquid over the top of the biscuits, it soaks right in, creating a pudding texture as it bakes and the juice is absorbed. The tinned fruit gets warmed through, the sugars caramelise, and the result is a moist, fruity and decadent dessert.

If you use cream-filled biscuits – like Kingston or vanilla cream – those fillings melt and caramelise even more, adding another layer of fudgy texture and richness. But the same trick can be achieved with plain biscuits too.

We won’t pretend it’s not super sweet (because it is) but it’s also delicious. Perfect served as a hot dessert with a dollop of cream, or as a chilled slice once it’s firmed up.

Why we love it

With millions of views and plenty of iterations, it would be easy to say it’s the simplicity of the hack that’s got us hooked. We might be out of time, money and inspiration, but we still want a sweet treat that’ll hit the spot with very little fuss. Two-ingredient desserts are that magic answer. But not all of them hit the way this one has, so why?

“It’s a really novel application of very accessible ingredients, so it definitely does have a novelty element to it,” says Sophie McComas-Williams, co-founder of Buffet creative agency.

“They’re just the most unexpected ingredients you’d probably think to combine, so there’s that ‘surprise and delight’ of supermarket ingredients that actually create something a little bit – I wouldn’t go so far as to say fancy-looking – but something tasty and fun.”

McComas-Williams also attributes it to perfect timing, for a winter-warming dessert that is achievable on a budget.

She also notes a loop effect, with the intriguing question of “what’s going to happen” with these two unusual ingredients. “You wait to watch to the end of the video to see that loop close, and come to a clear close,” she says of the quick reveal.

There’s also something to be said for the nostalgia of the ingredients in the recipe; with tinned fruit and iconic sweet biscuits both being fond childhood memories for many of us.

“Social media has a way of breathing new life into classic recipes,” says Kate Bean, Arnott’s category and marketing director of ANZ snacking, when asked about the viral trend.

“At a time when people are looking for simple, affordable desserts that don’t compromise on taste, it’s no surprise this recipe has struck a chord – it’s easy to recreate, delicious to share, and brings a little nostalgia to the table.” And the team at Arnott’s has reportedly been flat out since the trend took off on TikTok in recent weeks.

Clever spin

But it’s a bit of a trick in itself because most two-ingredient recipes aren’t “two-ingredient” at all. They often rely on pre-made items (with a whole host of their own ingredients) to do the heavy lifting. So really, it’s convenience food with clever spin, not that we mind. Sure, you’re just using two items you purchased, but when I counted the ingredients on my biscuits and tinned fruit, it was more like 20-plus ingredients, just already prepped for me.

But this hack does save the steps of shopping for and baking your own pudding base and or slicing and dicing the fruit. That’s a lot of labour saved, with a cheeky and easy result.

A perfect jumping-off point

Another fun aspect is the way it kickstarts the imagination, often creating an inspiring jumping-off point to get outrageous with the basic idea. In this case, swapping up the fruit and the biscuits to see what delicious results you might get. Suggestions from internet comments include melting moments with a tin of plums, Lemon Crisps and pears or Monte Carlos and apple. We tried Orange Slice creams and mango for a tropical hit, as well as Shortbread Creams and pear.

But our winning combination is Delta Creams or Monte Carlos with tinned cherries in syrup for a Cherry Ripe/Black Forest vibe.

Two-ingredient cherry-berry Carlo pudding (or Black Forest Delta pudding)

Using Monte Carlos and cherries will give you a cherry and jam pudding, while using Delta Creams adds cocoa for a more Black Forest flavour.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 250g packet of Monte Carlo biscuits OR Delta Creams
• 1 x 425g can pitted cherries in syrup

METHOD

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Lay the biscuits into the base of an oven-proof dish, covering the base and piling them up to fill the dish as much as possible.
• Pour over the whole tin of cherries and all the juice and give the pan a jiggle to settle everything together.
• Bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes or until the juice is soaking up and the biscuits are soft and the edges beginning to bubble. Serve warm with a dollop of cream, or chill and serve cold.

Tip: Keep 1-2 biscuits aside to crumble over the top for presentation. 

Note: The same trick works beautifully with some Shortbread Creams and tinned apples or Orange Creams and tinned mango.