christmas cakes

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

currants

sultanas

brandy

oranges, zest only

250 grams/9 ounces butter, softened

sugar

free-range eggs,

tbsp black treacle

flour

1½ tsp mixed spice

jam,

icing sugar

marzipan

free-range eggs, whites only

675 grams/1½lb icing sugar, sifted

lemon juice

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

A delightfully festive yule log, packed with delicious chocolate, cherry and kirsch flavours!

Black Forest Yule Log

+ 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour

g (3 tbsp) cocoa powder

eggs,

150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar

0.5 tsp baking powder

0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

salt

65 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

vanilla

tbsp kirsch

150 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) dark chocolate

tbsp morello cherry conserve

220 ml (¾ cup + 3 tbsp) double (heavy) cream, cold

kirsch

275 g (2 cup + 2 tbsp) dark chocolate, broken into chunks

265 ml (1 cup + 2 tbsp) double (heavy) cream

white chocolate

cherries

holly leaves

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly brush a 13”x9” swiss roll tin with melted butter, line the base of the tin with parchment paper, then brush lightly again to stick the paper down evenly. Set aside.

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa.

Place the eggs, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk at a medium-low speed for 3 minutes to combine and dissolve the sugar. The mixture will have fine bubbles throughout.

Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until thickened and pale with fine, foamy bubbles, around 5 minutes of beating time.

Increase the speed again to high and whisk the eggs mixture until pale and doubled in size, another 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium low and drizzle in the melted butter and vanilla, mixing together. Immediately reduce the speed to low and add in the sifted flour and cocoa powder, mixing until nearly combined. Turn the mixer off, detach the whisk attachment and use it to finish folding the flour in by hand, to avoid losing too much air from the mixture.

Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the pan, then gently tip the pan to spread the cake mixture out across the pan. Use an offset spatula to help, if required.

Gently drop the pan twice on your worktop to help level the mixture. Bake until puffed and firm to the touch, but still soft enough to hold a shallow impression when gently poked, about 12 minutes.

Immediately after removing the baked cake from the oven, place on a cooling rack and cover tightly with some foil, crimping around the sides to seal. This keeps the cake moist whilst cooling, so it will roll more smoothly and not crack. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 30-60 minutes.

For the cake

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate. You can do this either using a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Stir until smooth and shiny with no lumps of unmelted chocolate.

Spread the chocolate out over the prepared parchment paper to a few millimetres thickness. Using an offset spatula or spoon, create texture and ruffles in the chocolate, to resemble the bark of a tree.

Place in the fridge for the chocolate to firm up and set.

For the chocolate bark

Place the cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until you reach the soft peak stage.

Tip in the kirsch and mix in, adding more according to your taste.

For the filling

Once the cake is cool, remove from the tin and place on a clean worktop, parchment side down. I like to place a clean tea towel under the parchment to stop it sliding around whilst I’m filling and rolling it. Brush the cake generously all over with the kirsch.

Gently spread the cherry conserve over the cake, leaving a border of around 1cm all round the edges of the cake.

Spread the whipped kirsch cream over the conserve, again leaving the border around the edge of the cake as before.

Starting from a shorter end of the cake, roll it up fairly tightly, removing the parchment paper from the bottom as you go. I keep the last bit of parchment on, and use it to wrap the whole cake up once rolled so I can make sure it’s a firm roll. Place the cake roll in the fridge whilst making the ganache.

To assemble the cake

Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until steaming and the edges are starting to bubble. Pour the hot cream into the bowl with the chocolate, pushing to immerse the chocolate into the hot cream. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then stir to combine. If the chocolate has not completely melted, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds to heat some more and stir until melted together and velvety smooth. Pop in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

Once the ganache has cooled sufficiently (it should still be soft but not firm), beat using an electric whisk until light and slightly paler.

For the whipped ganache

Remove the cake from the fridge and unroll from the parchment. It should have firmed and be easier to handle. Place on your serving plate.

Cover the top of the cake generously with the soft whipped chocolate ganache. You may not need it all.

Remove the baking tray with the chilled chocolate from the fridge. Break the chocolate into small shards. I use a knife to break it to avoid melting it with the warmth of my hands. Gently press pieces of chocolate all over the ganache, textured side up, to create the “bark” of the log.

Grate some white chocolate over the yule log, then decorate the top with some holly leaves and a few cherries. Enjoy!

Finishing up

Kulich is a rich yeasted cake that is served during Easter. It is a popular tradition among the Orthodox Christians of Eastern Europe and Russia to make and serve this cake during Easter. This tall cake is delicious, airy and often decorated with colorful sprinkles or flowers.

Russian Kulich

C All-Purpose Flour / Bread Flour (500 g)

¼ Tsp Active Dry Yeast

C Milk (Whole)

Eggs (Large)

C Butter

Sugar

Tsp Brandy

Tsp Vanilla Extract

Salt

¼ C Raisins (Notes)

¼ C Candied Citrus Peel (Optional)

¼ C Ground Almonds (optional)

C Confectioners sugar

Lemon

Sprinkles

Warm the milk to 110° F or just warm to touch. Mix in 1 Tbsp sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. Melt the butter (it should be barely warm).

Prep

Use a stand mixer or a spatula for the next steps.

Place the activated yeast mix in the mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one by one. Slowly add the melted butter and sugar while continuing to mix. Add 1C flour in batches. Keep stirring until all the flour is absorbed into the mix. Set aside covered for an hour to 2 until the mix looks visibly bulked up.

Make the sponge

By MachineSet the machine on stir (lowest setting) and add the salt, vanilla extract, and brandy followed by the remaining flour in batches.  In about 2 minutes the mix will come together in one large mass.  You may have to scrape the sides to help the process along.  Once all the flour is absorbed increase to setting 1 (or the recommended setting for kneading) and knead for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. By now the dough should feel soft and smooth and not sticky.

By HandUsing a spatula stir the remaining flour, salt, vanilla extract, and brandy into the sponge in batches. Once all the flour is added and absorbed into the sponge, knead by hand for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough feels soft and pliable. It will be sticky in the beginning, but as you knead the texture of the dough changes and it will become less sticky.  If absolutely necessary add a couple of tablespoons of extra flour to make it easy to knead.

Make the Dough

Add the raisins, peels, and almond. Knead it in by hand until all the ingredients seem to have distributed evenly. Bring the dough together into a smooth mass. Cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap or wet kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours or until the dough is more than doubled in volume.

First Rise

Use a spatula to stir and deflate the dough. Divide into 2 six-inch circular cake tins fitted with tall collars or similar pans (Notes). Lightly cover the tins and set them aside for 30 to 45 minutes until the dough has risen by about an inch.

Shape and 2nd Rise

Place the oven rack in the center. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes until the tops are golden. Since it is an enriched dough the internal temperature should be 190°F.  So if the tops are browning faster reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. (Notes)

Bake

Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Mix the icing sugar with lemon juice to make a loose paste. Spread the paste over the tops of the cooled cake. Scatter the sprinkles on top. Slice and serve.

Serving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_mwFvgeHvs

Kulich is the Russian  Easter Cake.  This  yeasted cake is  soft  and  spongy and light as  air.   The  recipe  takes a little longer  than  user  breads/cakes to make, but  is  entirely worth the   time.  Don't be  alarmed by the  time -  the  active (or working) time  is 45 minutes or  less.  For  detailed recipe  and  tips  visit https://oventales.com/kulich/

Russian Easter Cake / Bread - Kulich

This gingerbread cake with tangy cream cheese frosting is a soft and moist cake with an amazing gingerbread flavor that is fun to make with your family or friends during the holidays!

Gingerbread Cake

g all-purpose flour

cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

clove

honey

unsalted butter (can be cold)

½ tsp baking soda

egg (can be cold)

400 g cream cheese (at room temperature)

unsalted butter (at room temperature)

tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Set aside.

Crack the egg into another mixing bowl and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, add the butter, honey, and sugar. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture starts simmering.

Reduce the heat to low and add baking soda. Whisk to combine. The mixture will bubble and expand significantly but will then subside. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously to prevent the honey from burning, until the mixture turns a light amber color.

Remove from the heat and slowly pour the honey mixture into the bowl with the egg, whisking vigorously. Then, add the flour mixture and mix until no dry ingredients are left. The dough should be sticky; avoid adding more flour! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 30-60 minutes or until well chilled but not frozen, or leave it in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C (355F). Prepare a baking sheet and 3 pieces of parchment paper (one for each cake layer).

Split the dough into 3 even parts. Take one piece and place it on floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough and your rolling pin with some flour and roll the dough so you can cut out a gingerbread man figure from it (the slab should be 2-3mm thick). Add more flour if needed while you rolling out the dough.

Cut out the gingerbread figure (I made a stencil myself on an A4 piece of paper) and transfer the parchment paper with it onto a baking sheet. Take the leftover dough and distribute it among the pieces you will roll out next.

Bake each cake layer for around 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool down for a minute on the baking sheet. Then, transfer it onto a cooling rack. Don’t stack baked cake layers on top of each other if they’re still warm.

You will have a small piece of dough left after making 3 cake layers. I used it to cut out a small candy cane for the cake decoration.

For the cake layers

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and a bowl), beat the butter with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy and pale.

Add the cream cheese and beat on medium until well incorporated. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl and beat for 10 more seconds. The cream should be homogeneous in consistency, smooth, and stable enough to pipe it.

Place the cream in a piping bag fitted with a round piping nozzle. Reserve 3-5 tablespoons of the cream and place it in a separate piping bag without a piping nozzle. Cut off the tip so you can pipe thin lines with it.

For the cream

Spread one teaspoon of cream on the surface or plate you're using to assemble your cake.

Place the first cake layer on top.

Pipe dots of the cream around the edges of the cake. Then, use the same technique to fill the cake with cream inside those borders.

Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the piping process.

Place the third layer on top. Attach the candy cane (or any other decoration you made) to the body of your gingerbread man cake using the cream.

Using the bag with reserved cream, pipe the eyes, mouth, or any other décor on top of your cake.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Assembling the cake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u19apnpWQ1s

This gingerbread cake with tangy cream cheese frosting is a soft and moist cake with an amazing gingerbread flavor that is fun to make with your family or friends during the holidays!

Grab the full recipe here: https://sugarpursuit.com/gingerbread-cake/

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Gingerbread cake

Top 4 christmas cakes recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Mary Berry'S Classic Christmas Cake

Black Forest Yule Log

Russian Kulich

Gingerbread Cake

Top 4 christmas cakes recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas cakes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Mary Berry'S Classic Christmas Cake

Black Forest Yule Log

Russian Kulich

Gingerbread Cake

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