festive puds

A jar of salted caramel sauce makes a great Christmas present. This is so easy - don't tell anyone. If you don’t want to include the rum, just leave it out. It still tastes amazing.

You will need to have sterilised jars to keep the caramel in. This recipe makes about 2 jam jars of caramel.

Salted caramel sauce

tin ready-made condensed milk caramel

unsalted butter

sea salt

tbsp rum (optional)

Serve this warm chocolate sauce over vanilla ice cream, meringues or even as a chocolate fondue.

Easy chocolate sauce

200 grams/7 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids, chopped

175 milliliters/6fl oz milk

tbsp double cream

grams/1¼oz caster sugar

grams/1¼oz butter,

I have long been a pavaholic but this is my first venture into a fruit-free version. The instant espresso powder (do not use regular instant coffee granules) gives bitter oomph to the sweet, marshmallowy meringue.

Cappuccino pavlova

caster sugar

tsp instant espresso powder (not instant coffee granules)

salt

tsp cornflour

tsp white wine vinegar

300 milliliters/10fl oz double cream

cocoa powder

I have long been a Pavaholic but this is my first venture into a fruit-free version. The instant espresso powder (do not use regular instant coffee granules) gives bitter oomph to the sweet, marshmallowy meringue.

Cappucino pavlova

Sticky, gooey and surprisingly light and easy, Mary's sticky toffee pudding is a winner. 
Baked in a large dish, this is a family-sized pudding, spooned out or cut into squares to serve.

For this recipe you will need a 1.7-litre/3-pint ovenproof dish and an electric whisk. 

Each serving provides 927 kcal, 9g protein, 88g carbohydrates (of which 60g sugars), 59g fat (of which 36g saturates), 1.5g fibre and 1.9g salt.


Mary's sticky toffee pudding

grams/3½oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

sugar

eggs

flour

tsp baking powder

tsp bicarbonate of soda

tbsp black treacle

275 milliliters/9½fl oz full-fat milk

double cream

grams/3½oz butter

125 grams/4½oz light muscovado sugar

300 milliliters/10fl oz pouring double cream

tsp vanilla extract

Nigel Slater's profiteroles use both a simpler version of choux pastry and an easy alternative to proper custard.


Profiteroles with cheat’s custard 

grams/3½oz butter,

free-range eggs

tbsp caster sugar

vanilla pod, seeds only

tbsp Marsala wine

mascarpone

grams/3½oz plain chocolate, minimum 75 per cent cocoa solids

grams/3½oz white chocolate

60 grams/2¼oz pistachios, coarsely chopped

grams/1¼oz crystallised rose petals

grams/1¼oz crystallised violets

These deep and crumbly mince pies are so simple and delicious. The secret to Paul's mince pie recipe is to jazz up shop-bought mincemeat with a little extra fruit and zest.  (No soggy bottoms, please.)

Equipment and preparation: You will need a deep muffin mould with 12 holes, a round pastry cutter and a fluted pastry cutter.

Paul Hollywood’s mince pies

250 grams/9 ounces butter, softened

125 grams/4 ounces caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

tangerines, zest grated and flesh chopped

apple, finely diced

Try making Mary Berry’s foolproof, homemade custard, perfect for slathering on crumbles, pies and puddings.

Each serving provides 872 kcal, 33g protein, 65g carbohydrates (of which 56g sugars), 54g fat (of which 26g saturates), 0g fibre and 0.7g salt.

Mary Berry's proper custard

570 milliliters/1 pint milk

55 milliliters/2fl oz single cream

vanilla pod vanilla

free-range eggs, yolks only

grams/1 caster sugar

level tsp cornflour

The smooth, creamy liqueur gives this celebration cheesecake the wow factor. Top with grated chocolate and a dusting of cocoa.

Irish cream and chocolate cheesecake

250 grams/8¾oz digestive biscuits, crushed

cream cheese

milliliters/1fl oz Baileys

milliliters/3½oz icing sugar

300 milliliters/10½oz double cream, whipped

grams/3½oz chocolate

200 milliliters/7¼oz double cream, whipped

cocoa powder, to dust

Oh boy! Chocolate, cheesecake – what’s not to like? And everyone knows that Belgian chocolate is the best in the world. Just thinking about this makes us weak at the knees – not one for the faint hearted.

Chocolate cheesecake

dark chocolate,

full-fat cream cheese

200 milliliters/⅓ pint soured cream

150 grams/5½oz caster sugar

sunflower oil,

300 grams/10½oz chocolate oat biscuits

butter, melted

Belgian chocolate truffles

white chocolate, for grating, or icing sugar

I’m almost embarrassed at how easy this is but, as you will find out, simple though it is to make, its flavour is deep, complex and utterly compelling. 

One-step no-churn coffee ice cream

condensed milk

tbsp espresso powder

espresso liqueur (or coffee liqueur)

I’m almost embarrassed at how easy this is but, as you will find out, simple though it is to make, its flavour is deep, complex and utterly compelling. 

I have never tried using regular instant coffee granules in place of the instant espresso powder stipulated, though I dare say if you boosted quantities and dissolved the granules in a little boiling water first, you could make it work for you.

Top 10 festive puds recipes from across the web

The most viewed festive puds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Salted caramel sauce

Easy chocolate sauce

Cappuccino pavlova

Mary's sticky toffee pudding

Profiteroles with cheat’s custard

Paul Hollywood’s mince pies

Mary Berry's proper custard

Irish cream and chocolate cheesecak...

Chocolate cheesecake

One-step no-churn coffee ice cream

Top 10 festive puds recipes from across the web

The most viewed festive puds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Salted caramel sauce

Easy chocolate sauce

Cappuccino pavlova

Mary's sticky toffee pudding

Profiteroles with cheat’s custard

Paul Hollywood’s mince pies

Mary Berry's proper custard

Irish cream and chocolate cheesecak...

Chocolate cheesecake

One-step no-churn coffee ice cream

The most viewed festive puds recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine