December: Christmas recipe favourites

Mary Berry’s Victorian Christmas Cake

This is my go-to recipe for a moist, fruit-filled but lighter Christmas cake. It can be made at the last minute as it doesn’t need to mature like the more traditional rich cake recipes.  It takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare, depending how organised you are. The original recipe says 15 minutes, but I suspect that’s if you have staff.

Ingredients
350g glace cherries
225g tin of pineapple in natural juice
350g ready to eat apricots
100g almonds (I always leave the skins on)
350g sultanas (or any combination of vine fruits)
Grated rind of 2 (washed) lemons
250g self-raising flour
250g caster sugar
250g softened butter
75g ground almonds
5 large eggs at room temperature (duck eggs are excellent!)

To decorate:
Whole almonds, glace cherries, halved.

Preheat the oven – I bake this at 170^oC fan but keep an eye on it coming up to 2 hours as ovens do vary. Grease and line a 23cm/9″ deep cake tin with a double layer of parchment.
Prepare the fruit. Wash and cut the cherries into quarters and pat dry with a clean teatowel. Drain the pineapple and pat dry, then chop into smaller chunks. Snip the apricots (scissors are best) and roughly chop the almonds. Put all the fruit into a large bowl with the grated lemon rind and mix gently.
Next, measure all the remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat well for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Fold the fruit in gently and turn into the prepared tin. Lightly smooth the surface and decorate with the almonds and cherries as the whim takes you. You could add glace pineapple if you can find any…
Bake for about 2 hours 10-15 minutes, but inspect after 1 hour and cover the top loosely with foil if it’s getting a bit too brown. Check the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre at 2 hours – it’s done if it comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 30 mins then turn out onto a wire rack, removing the parchment paper, for it to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container. I don’t decorate it further, or feed it as it is lovely and moist anyway, with fruit throughout the cake (see the slice below). It will keep for a week – it might keep for longer, but that hasn’t been tested in the Kirk household.

Maggie Kirk

Christmas Frangipane tart

(Courtesy of Kate Probert, L’Amuse Chez Kate)

I was privileged to attend an amazing Christmas themed cooking course in November 2023 with Kate Probert of Penmaen (https://www.lamusechezkate.com). For me this was a stand out dessert with all the tastes and aromas of Christmas. Goes rather well with cream I found!! 

For the Christmas fruit bit, which can be made ahead by a week or two.  
Ingredients
200g Prunes de-stoned
200g ready to eat apricots
2 tbsp brandy/rum/mulled wine (be generous)
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp honey
Grated zest of orange ( be generous)

Boil all the ingredients together with a little water. Leave too cool and puree in a food processor.
Store in a clean Kilner jar until ready to be used. 

Pastry
200g bread flour
100g Butter
65ml cold water

Mix together the flour and the butter to fine crumbs. Add the water and mix to a smooth ball. Cover with cling film and chill for 15 mins.

Line a buttered 36 x 12cm loose bottomed rectangular tart tin with the pastry,  approx. 5mm thick and line with parchment. Fill with baking beans and cook at 200 ^oC for about 15 mins.
Remove the paper and beans and trim the excess pastry with a peeler and then cook for a further 5 mins.
Turn the oven down to 180^oC.

Filling
150g Butter
150g caster sugar
3 large eggs
150g ground almonds
15g flour
A drop or two of almond essence ( be generous!)
Flaked almonds
Icing sugar for dusting

For the frangipane
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour, almonds and almond extract. Spread the fruit mixture (which may look lumpy, that’s ok) lightly over the base of the tart, followed by the frangipane and the flaked almonds on the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180^oC.
Serve warm or cold.

Isobel Everett

Sticky Toffee Pudding

This recipe was road tested by Colin & Isobel and it is very scrumptious! Serves 6-8. It was made as a vegan dessert but dairy products can be used instead if desired.

Ingredients
170g dates, stones removed & chopped
350ml plant-based milk
1tsp vanilla extract
1_^½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
215g dairy-free butter
200g dark brown sugar
180g self-raising flour
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp golden syrup
3 tbsp coconut cream

Preheat the oven to 160^oC and grease an ovenproof dish (25 x 15cm x 5cm deep).
Put the dates into a small saucepan with the milk and vanilla extract and heat for about 10 mins, until soft
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the bicarb and leave to cool to room temperature. Then add 115g of the dairy-free butter and 100g of the sugar, followed by the flour, salt and spices. Stir just to combine them, but don’t overmix.
Pour the mixture into the dish and bake for 35-40 mins until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the sponge comes out clean.
Meanwhile, put the golden syrup and the remaining sugar and butter into the (clean) small saucepan and stir over a medium heat to combine. Then, reduce the heat and cook for a further 5 mins. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before stirring in the coconut cream. Pour into a small jug.
Cut into slices to serve with the sauce. Yummy!

Isobel & Colin Everett

Christmas Pudding

Another Mary Berry recipe, again a little bit lighter than others and I always cook it using a pressure cooker. I never manage to make it until a week or so before Christmas, but it’s always moist and full of flavour.

Serves 6-8. Preparation time 1-2 hours, quicker with help, but slower if you drink the sherry as you go along. Cooking time is about 2 hours. You’ll need a greased 1L basin.

Ingredients
450g dried mixed fruit (M&S mixed fruit with cranberries and apricots is particularly good)
1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 orange, for grated rind and juice
3 tbsp sherry + extra for the cook
75g softened butter
100g light muscovado or soft brown sugar
2 free-range eggs at room temperature
100g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
40g fresh breadcrumbs (I use wholemeal)
40g roughly choppd almonds

Measure all the fruits and nuts into a bowl with the orange juice and grated rind. Slosh in the sherry (test it first to check it’s OK), stir and leave to marinade for about an hour, or until you’ve sobered up a little.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and gradually beat in the eggs.
Sift the flour and spice and then fold carefully into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs. Then tip in the soaked fruits, nuts and juice and stir in well.

*This is the moment for the family or whoever’s present in the house, to come and stir the mix whilst making a wish. We go in age order.

Now, spoon the mix into your greased basin. Leave about 3-4cm from the top of the bowl for the mixture to rise, so don’t be tempted to fill it. If you have too much mixture, you can always cook a small ‘taster’ pud in the microwave.
Cover the basin with a double layer of baking parchment paper and foil, putting a little pleat tin the top to allow for expansion. Tie firmly with string and tie in a handle for lifting purposes too (3 hands are best here). Trim off any excess paper/foil.
You will need to follow your pressure cooker instructions for steaming, although I think they are pretty standard. I lower the pudding into the cooker, add boiling water until the cooker is half full and put the lid on to steam for 30 mins before locking it to reach pressure. Once it’s reached pressure, maintain a gentle steam for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slowly.
Once cool, change the wrappers and store.
To serve, just reheat for 30 mins in the pressure cooker and serve with cream, sauce, whatever. We like cream!

Original recipe can be viewed at https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/traditional_christmas_38771

Maggie Kirk