christmas baking

Sweet and spiced, this strudel is a winner. Be sure to melt the butter used to separate the layers of pastry, as this makes for a great flaky crust.

Apple strudel

grams/1lb 10 ounces Bramley apples, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced

cinnamon

½ unwaxed lemon, zest only

lemon juice

100 grams/3½oz golden caster sugar

grams/2½oz raisins

butter

grams/1½oz white breadcrumbs

filo pastry

tbsp icing sugar

Old English Fruitcake - A dark, rich, well spiced old fashioned English style fruitcake that can be made weeks in advance of Christmas.

Old English Dark Fruit Cake

prunes (6 oz), chopped

dates (6 oz), chopped

dark raisins (8 oz)

golden raisins (6 oz)

currents (6 oz)

dark brown sugar

molasses

coffee liqueur,

oranges

glace cherries

citrus peel

pecans (7 oz), roughly chopped

tsp allspice

tsp powdered ginger

cloves

tsp nutmeg

tbsp cocoa

eggs

all purpose flour

hazelnuts

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

In a large saucepan melt the butter over...

In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and add the raisins, dates, prunes, currents, brown sugar, molasses, spices, coffee liqueur (or coffee) and the orange zest and juice.

Bring to a gentle boil and very slowly...

Bring to a gentle boil and very slowly simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for...

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes.

When cool stir in the beaten eggs.

Sift together, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda.

Add the ground nuts and fold through the...

Add the ground nuts and fold through the boiled mixture. Fold in cherries, citrus peel and pecans. Pour into prepared baking pan. You can decorate the top with additional pecan halves, cherries etc., if you like.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 ½...

Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 ½ to 2 hours depending upon the size of your pan. Mine took the full two hours in a 10 inch spring form pan.The cake should feel firm to the touch at the center and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. The cake should be cooled completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing.

At this point you can poke small holes...

At this point you can poke small holes in the top and bottom of the cake with a fork and pour on 4 ounces of dark rum or your favorite whiskey, half on the top, wait ten minutes, then flip it over and pour the remaining half on the bottom.

Soak several layers of cheesecloth in additional rum...

Soak several layers of cheesecloth in additional rum if you like and wrap completely around the cake, then cover with several layers of plastic wrap and store in a COOL place.

When serving, you can add a layer of...

When serving, you can add a layer of marzipan or if you have decorated the top with fruit and nuts, brush with a simple glaze of equal parts water and sugar boiled together for about 10-15 minutes.

Mince pies with homemade mincemeat and pastry.  Add a grating of orange zest to your pastry for a unique flavour. 

Homemade Mince Pies

grams/5½oz raisins

currants

75 grams/2½oz chopped mixed peel

brandy

150 grams/5½oz cold butter, grated

grams/4½oz dark brown soft sugar or muscovado sugar

vanilla pod, seeds scraped

tsp ground mixed spice

Bramley apple, peeled, grated, core discarded

orange, juice and zest

lemon, juice and zest

350 grams/12 ounces plain flour,

grams/5½oz unsalted butter, softened,

grams/1¾oz icing sugar, sifted

orange, zest only

eggs,

grams/1¾oz demerara sugar

Homemade mince pies

Mince pies

Edd Kimber creates a version of Swedish sweet rolls. They're traditionally served in December but work well served at breakfast all year round

St Lucia Saffron Buns

milk

pack saffron

unsalted butter,

strong white bread flour

golden caster sugar

sachet fast-action yeast

egg, beaten, plus extra for egg wash

St Lucia saffron buns

Put the milk in a small pan and gently heat until it’s steaming. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the saffron into a powder. Add this to the pan of milk along with the butter. Swirl to melt the butter, then set aside until lukewarm.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, caster sugar, 1 tsp salt and the yeast together, and make a well in the middle of the bowl. Pour in the milk mixture along with the egg. Mix together to form a sticky dough, then turn out onto the work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (this will take about 10 mins). Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Set the bowl in a warm part of the house and allow to rise for about 1 hr until doubled in size.

Knock back the dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Cover the pieces with the oiled cling film while you make the rolls – this will stop the dough from drying out. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out into a 30cm-long strand. Roll up one end into the middle, turn over and roll the other end into the middle, forming the dough into an S-shape. Place the buns on a large (or 2 smaller) parchment-lined baking tray. Once all the buns are made, lightly cover with oiled cling film and prove until almost doubled in size (if making ahead, keep the dough in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning). While the buns prove, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

When ready to bake, brush the buns with beaten egg and press a currant into the centre of each spiral. Put the trays in the oven and bake for around 15 mins. Allow to cool before serving. These are best eaten on the day they are made but will keep for a couple of days.

Newfoundland Cherry Cake is a big local favourite especially during the Holidays. The secret in this recipe is undiluted evaporated milk for added richness.

Newfoundland Style Cherry Cake – A Traditional Christmas Favorite

cherries flour

sugar

tsp vanilla extract

tsp almond extract

flour

lukewarm, undiluted evaporated milk

Newfoundland Style Cherry Cake – a traditional Christmas favorite

Rinse the cherries in a colander to remove...

Rinse the cherries in a colander to remove any syrup that they may have been stored in. Pat them day between layers of paper towels.This step helps prevent the cherries sinking into the batter as well. Depending on their size, cut them into halves or quarters and set aside for later. They will get tossed in 1/4 cup of flour later but not until just before they are folded into the batter.

Cream together the butter and sugar well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating...

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Sift together the 3 cups of flour and...

Sift together the 3 cups of flour and baking powder.

Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately...

Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the lukewarm milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. As a general rule, I add the dry ingredients in 3 portions and the milk in 2 portions.

Fold in the chopped glace cherries that have...

Fold in the chopped glace cherries that have been tossed at the last minute in the 1/4 cup flour.

Bake in greased and floured spring form pan,...

Bake in greased and floured spring form pan, tube pan or two 9x5 inch loaf pans, lined with parchment paper. ( If you like, you can make this recipe in 3 disposable 8x4 inch pans by adjusting the ingredient amounts. See NOTES section below for the correct ingredients amounts, which are about 1/3 more than the standard recipe amounts.)

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes...

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes - 1 hour depending upon the size of your cake pan/s. (Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes - 1 hour depending upon the size of your pan.

Baking times vary greatly on this recipe so...

Baking times vary greatly on this recipe so rely on the toothpick test to ensure that it is properly baked. When a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, its done. Be careful not to go past this stage or the cake will be dry.

Let the cake cool in the pan/s for...

Let the cake cool in the pan/s for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This is a ‘quick’ panettone recipe which delivers on flavour and texture. It’s my go-to for a last-minute Christmas cake!

For this recipe you will need a 18cm/7in deep cake tin.


Easy Panettone

150 milliliters/5fl oz milk, warmed

tsp fast-action dried yeast

butter, melted

tbsp Marsala wine

salt

tbsp orange juice

75 grams/2½oz candied peel

oil,

egg,

tbsp flaked almonds

icing sugar,

Easy panettone

Mary Berry’s been making her traditional Christmas cake recipe for as long as Paul Hollywood’s been alive. She knows what she’s talking about. If you don't have the required tin size, go to her <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/christmas_cake_calculator">cake calculator</a> to recalculate the ingredients and cooking time for your cake tin.

Mary Berry'S Classic Christmas Cake

raisins

350 grams/12 ounces natural glacé cherries, halved, rinsed, and thoroughly dried

sultanas

oranges, zest only

250 grams/9 ounces butter, softened

free-range eggs,

tbsp black treacle

1½ tsp mixed spice

jam,

icing sugar

marzipan

free-range eggs, whites only

675 grams/1½lb icing sugar, sifted

1½ tsp glycerine

Mary Berry's classic Christmas cake

Mary shows Paul how she makes royal icing; egg whites beaten to a froth, with icing sugar added and a little glycerin and lemon juice. She ices the cake and decorates it with a ribbon and some Christmas angels.

Mary decorates her Christmas cake

Create your own winter wonderland with Mary Berry's gingerbread recipe. It makes a wonderful centrepiece for parties, and children will love it. 

Equipment and preparation: you will need a piping bag with a medium plain and small nozzle; plus you will need to print off a <a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/christmasbakeoff/gingerbread_house.pdf">downloadable pdf template of the gingerbread design</a>.

Gingerbread house

unsalted butter

300 grams/10½oz dark muscovado sugar

golden syrup

900 grams/2lb plain flour

tbsp bicarbonate of soda

ginger

free-range egg whites

yellow

x 30cm/12in square cake board

200 grams/7 ounces giant milk chocolate buttons

night-light candles

cocktail sticks

Rum butter is one of our favourite Christmas treats and we&#8217;ve come up with a fantastic new way to use it – in mincemeat! Use to fill mince pies, try it in our spiced rum butter mincemeat cake or have a go at this royal mincemeat pie.

Spiced rum butter mincemeat

orange

lemon

bramley apple (about 200 grams)

dark rum

chopped mixed peel

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1½ tsp ground mixed spice

light muscovado sugar

lightly toasted blanched almonds, chopped

You’ll also need…

Sterilised jars with tight-fitting lids (you’ll need enough

For the mincemeat, both zestsand juices in a medium-size pan. Peel, quarter and core the apple, then coarsely grate, stirring itinto the juices as you grate to stop the apple from browning.

Add the butter, rum, dried fruit, mixed peel and spices and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for about 1 hour until the apple has broken down, the dried fruit has plumped up and all the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in the sugar and set aside to cool, then stir in the chopped almonds. Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jars (see Know-how), then press a waxed disc firmly onto the surface of the mixture and seal immediately. Store in the fridge until needed and use to make our spiced mincemeat cake.

Keto Sugar Cookies - the perfect soft and buttery low carb Christmas cut-out cookies for the holiday baking season. Best of all, these delicious classic holiday cookies are made with healthier, sugar free and gluten free ingredients.

Keto Low Carb Sugar Cookies

coconut flour (, measured correctly (spoon & sweep))

fruit

fine sea salt

cream cheese (softened, can also sub with KiteHill vegan cream cheese

vanilla extract

almond extract

powdered monk fruit sweetener (Swerve or erythritol)

heavy cream OR coconut cream

almond milk or lemon juice,

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment turned to low speed, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and salt together until combined.

Turn the mixer to medium, then add the butter, 1 cube at a time, and mix until the dough looks crumbly and slightly wet about 2 minutes.

Add the cream cheese, vanilla and almond extract and beat for another 30-60 seconds until the dough just begins to form large clumps, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Gather dough with hands and knead just until it sticks together (add 1 tablespoon of almond flour at a time as needed if dough seems too wet). Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 35 minutes (or up to 2 days).

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. When ready to roll, remove and unwrap dough disc from the fridge.

Place a large piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Place dough in the center. Place another large parchment paper on top of the dough and using your rolling pin, roll into 1/4 inch thickness (1/8 inch for thinner cookies). Place the cookie dough sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove the cookie dough sheet from the freezer and remove the top parchment paper. Cut into shapes with cutters of your choice. Place cut cookies on lined baking sheets, about 1 inch apart then place in the freezer again for 10 minutes (to prevent spreading). Repeat with any scraps.

Preheat oven to 325° F.

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The most viewed christmas baking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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