Chocolate, Cherry and Cranberry Wreath Cake

I decided to bake one of these cakes for my 8yo's teacher who is most lovely, and like most teachers, in need of a chocolate treat near the end of this term at school.  

Chocolate, Cherry and Cranberry Wreath Cake

200g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or good quality extract

4 free range eggs, I used large

225g self raising flour

50g cocoa powder

100g glace cherries, rinsed and halved

75g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan.  Grease a ring cake tin really well.  I used a 25cm ring cake pan.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the egg whilst your mixer or hand mixer is running.  If the mixture looks like it may be starting to curdle add a tablespoon or two of flour.  This will stabilise the mixture.

Once all the egg has been incorporated stir in the flour and cocoa powder until completely incorporated.  Add the cherries and cranberries and mix once again.

Spread the mixture evenly into your prepared cake tin.  Bake for 40 - 50 minuntes depending on the size of your cake tin.  Leave in the tin for around 10 minutes before turning the cake tin upside down on a wire rack.  Remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze

150g chocolate, roughly chopped
50g butter
1 Tblsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water combine the chocolate, butter and golden syrup.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add the vanilla, let the mixture cool a little then spread the warm glaze over the top of your cooled cake.

Leave a Comment Basics, Cakes, Christmas, Gift Ideas, RBoK

Gingerbread Houses

As is a festive tradition in our house, gingerbread houses were made and decorated.  This year instead of one big house that all of us work on, each of my 3 daughters made their own.  It kept them busy for a long time.  They all made their own dough, cut out the templates, baked the dough then assembled and decorated their houses.

They used the dough recipe from this post and some of our rather impressive sprinkles collection.

Do you make gingerbread houses over the festive season? Are there any traditional bakes that you make with/for your family this time of year?

Leave a Comment Basics, Biscuits, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Sweets

Lussekatter, Lucia Saffron Buns

We've been baking some Scandinavian Christmas breads lately as a change from our usual Christmas bakes.  It is so much fun! This time we baked Lussekatter or Lucia Saffron Buns.  These buns are traditionally eaten in Scandinavia during Advent and especially on December 13 which is Saint Lucy's Day.  Saint Lucia, is the patron saint of light and December 13th was originally thought to be the shortest day of the year so it is still the date chosen in Sweden to celebrate the return of lighter days.  

The buns are similar to brioche but flavoured with saffron.  They are shaped in spirals with two raisins in the center of each swirl.  We made these by hand on a cold and crisp Saturday morning and ate hem for afternoon tea accompanied by a hot chocolate.  All 3 girls helped mix, knead and shape the dough - a great collaborative effort!

Lussekatter, Lucia Saffron Buns

1 tsp saffron threads

250 ml semi skimmed milk
75g butter, melted and cooled
500 g strong white bread flour
50g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
10g fast action yeast
24 raisins
beaten free range egg, to glaze

Heat the milk until hot then add the saffron threads, stir well then leave to cool for 10 minutes so the saffron can infuse the milk with flavour and colour.  Strain the milk to remove the saffron threads then stir in the melted butter until completely combined. 

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and yeast into a bowl.  Add the milk and butter mixture then mix until a dough forms.  Turn the dough out.  Knead the dough on an unfloured surface for at least 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with greased clingfilm.  Leave to prove until doubled in size, this took about an hour and a half.  Grease and line two baking trays.

Knock the dough back and divide into 12 equal pieces, ours weighed about 70 grams each.  We rolled and shaped our dough on an unfloured surface.  Roll out each piece like a sausage until it is about 25cm (10 inches) long then roll each end into the middle to form an S shape, see the photos.

Put the S shapes of dough onto the baking trays, cover once again with greased cling film and leave to prove again for 45 minutes to 1 hour until doubled in size again.

Preheat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7.  Remove the cling film from the trays of buns, brush the buns with beaten egg then bake for 8 - 10 minutes until deep golden brown.  We sprinkled a little caster sugar over the buns just before baking to give them a little more texture and make the tops sparkle.  The buns should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

10 comments Basics, Bread, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Vegetarian

Scandinavian Julekage

My daughters love to bake and Christmas time is the perfect time to indulge that passion.  We're always on the look out for new breads to try and at the suggestion of one of the Mums on the school run we attempted Scandinavian Julekage.  She gave me a basic idea of the recipe and we based ours on that, with a few adaptations due to lack of ingredients and me only remembering some of what she said due to baby induced sleep deprivation.  It took 3 attempts to develop a loaf I was happy with and I baked that several times just to make sure the recipe worked well.

Julekage (pronounced yoo-ley-key-yeh) is a popular Scandinavian Christmas fruit bread made from a dough enriched with butter and eggs.  The dough is filled with candied fruit, such as tropical fruit and cherries. and spiced with cardamom. We used cranberries in our bread as I'd run out of glace cherries.

The bread was enthusiastically devoured once I had taken photos and I've made two loaves since, one for us to devour, and another to the school Mum who suggested we make it.  I'm delighted to say it passed the taste test and she declared it to be delicious. 

Scandinavian Julekage

450g strong white bread flour

50g sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp fast action yeast

1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom (you'll need seeds from around 15 pods)

80g butter, melted and cooled

2 free range eggs, beaten (I used large eggs)

150ml semi skimmed milk, lukewarm

150g dried tropical fruit

100g dried cranberries or roughly chopped glace cherries

Icing:

75g icing sugar

1 Tblsp water, or more as needed

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, cardamom, milk, eggs and butter in a bowl.  mix until a soft dough forms. 

Either knead the dough on an unfloured surface or in a mixer until smooth and elastic, this took us about 10 - 12 minutes by hand.  Knead the fruit into the dough until well incorporated.  Cover the dough and leave to prove until doubled in size.

Line a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin with a double layer of non-stick baking paper, extending it 5cm (2 inches) above the top edge of the tin.  I used two disposable cake tin liners and made a collar from a double layer of non-stick baking paper.

Knead the dough again to knock it back.  Put the dough into your prepared cake tin, cover once again, then leave until the dough fills the tin and has almost reached the top of the tin.

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6.

Bake the loaf for 35 - 40 minutes.  Cover the top of the loaf with a sheet of greased non-stick baking paper after 20 minutes cooking time, this stops the top of the loaf from getting a little too golden brown (burnt).

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  When you tap the loaf on the bottom it should sound hollow.  Make the icing and drizzle it over the top of the loaf, we sprinkled more dried fruit over the icing for a festive touch.

2 comments Basics, Bread, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Vegetarian

Festive Bread Wreath

I decided to bake a couple of festive breads whilst bubs was asleep.  They turned out very well and my family devoured them as soon as they got home from work and school - luckily I managed to take photos earlier in the day!

This bread would make a great centrepiece for a festive gathering, a delicious gift idea for teachers or an impressive addition to a festive hamper.

Festive Bread Wreath

225g white bread flour

1 1/2 tsp fast action yeast

25g sugar

25g softened butter

1 free range egg, beaten

90ml semi skimmed milk, lukewarm

Filling:

50g butter, softened

50g sugar

25g ground almonds

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

100g glace cherries, chopped

100g mixed dried fruit

Combine the bread ingredients in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix until a soft dough forms.  Knead for 10 minutes, either by hand or in a mixer, until dough is smooth and elastic.  Put dough into a greased bowl, cover with greased cling film, and leave to prove until doubled in size.

To make the filling combine the butter, sugar and ground almonds to make a paste.  

Once the dough has proved, don't bother knocking it back just roll it out to a rectangle approximately 30cm x 23cm (12 inches x 9 inches).

Spread the filling paste over the dough then sprinkle over the cherries and dried fruit.  Roll the dough up tightly from the long edge and pinch the edge well to seal.  Gently roll the dough into a sausage shape until it measures approximately 50cm (20 inches) in length.

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough sausage down the middle lengthwise.  Turn the two pieces so the filling is facing upwards then plait the pieces together.  Bend the plait into a circle and ensure the ends are weaved together to form a wreath shape.

Cover and prove until doubled in size once again.  Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6.  Bake the wreath for 20 minutes.  Once baked leave the wreath to cool on the tray for a few minutes then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

4 comments Basics, Bread, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Vegetarian

Chocolate Christmas Tree Biscuits and Mini Christmas Cakes - Waitrose #bakeitforward

When I received an email from Waitrose asking to take part in their Bake It Forward campaign I accepted without hesitation.  To take part all you need to do is bake something sweet to share with others during the season of goodwill ,share your share your photos on social media using the #BakeItForward hashtag and nominate them to do the same.

Every day Waitrose will be surprising people taking part with festive treats, including hampers and bottles of champagne.  Sharing baking and the possibility of being surprised with festive treats, what's not to like?!

We baked some Chocolate Christmas Tree Biscuits which are perfect for Christmas Fairs, Christmas parties and Christmas hampers.  We also iced some bite sized pieces of Christmas Cake which are great for teacher gifts.

Chocolate Christmas Trees

100g softened butter

100g caster sugar

2 Tblsp golden syrup or honey

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

220g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

30g cocoa powder

100g dark/milk and white chocolate for decoration

Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan.  Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.  

Cream the butter and sugar together well until pale and fluffy.  Add the golden syrup/honey and vanilla bean paste then beat again.  Add the flour, bicarb and cocoa then mix until a stiff dough forms.  

Knead the dough then roll out to 5mm thick on a floured surface.  Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and carefully transfer to your prepared trays.  Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes.  Check after 10 minutes then every 2 minutes after that.  The biscuits should be slightly darker and fill the kitchen with a lovely chocolate aroma when they are cooked.

Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.  Sandwich the biscuits together with melted chocolate.  I used coffee stirrers from a well known chain as sticks but you can purchase cake pop sticks from a supermarket if you want. Put in the fridge until the chocolate has set.

Melt the white chocolate and drizzle over the biscuits then decorate how you wish.

The recipe makes 20 biscuits, enough for 10 completed trees.  These trees are fab individually wrapped and given as gifts, included in hampers of homemade goodies, or sold at a Christmas Fair.

Bite Sized Christmas Cakes

1.5 kg mixed dried fruit

125ml rum, whisky or brandy (use apple/orange juice for non-alcoholic version)

1 Tblsp golden syrup

220g light or dark brown sugar

250g butter, melted and cooled

4 free range eggs

225g plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

Put the fruit in a large bowl, breaking up any large clumps.  Add the rum, golden syrup, sugar and eggs.  Mix well then add the melted butter, sifted flours and  mixed spice.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  

Pour the mixture into a deep 23cm round or deep 20cm square cake tin lined with three sheets of non-stick baking paper. Make sure the baking paper extends at least 1 inch/ 5cm above the top edge of the cake tin.  

Preheat your oven to 160C/140C Fan for about 3 ½ hours or until cooked when tested.  To test if the cake is done, insert a knife or skewer into the middle, it should come out clean with no crumbs sticking to it.  

Take the cake out of the oven, brush with a little extra run, whisky or brandy then set aside to cool completely.  Wrap well and store in an airtight container in a cool dark place until you are ready to eat it.  

This cake mixture can also be baked in empty baked bean/pulses tins or tuna tins.  A baked bean tin sized cake usually takes 45 - 50 minutes, a tuna tin sized cake usually takes 55 - 60 minutes.

We decorated ours with a layer of marzipan followed by a layer of sugarpaste and decorations.  I brushed the cakes with a little golden syrup to adhere the marzipan and sugarpaste layers to the cake bites.

* I was sent a hamper of baking goodies by Waitrose and was compensated for my time creating these recipes *

1 comment Basics, Biscuits, Cakes, Christmas, Gift Ideas, RBoK, Vegetarian

Date and Walnut Log with Cheese Biscuits

I also made a savoury edible Christmas gift recipe, for the lovelies at Sainsbury's, because not everyone is into sweet treats and I do like a good cheese biscuit to nibble on with a glass of wine.

These biscuits are very easy to make, you just need to remember to mix together equal quantities of plain flour, butter and grated cheese. What could be simpler?!

The Date and Walnut Log just involves measuring ingredients into a food processor, mixing them, forming the mixture into logs then wrapping the logs to look pretty. So easy!

I normally include the Date and Walnut Log with Cheese Biscuits in a hamper with a bottle of wine and some other savoury goodies.

Date and Walnut Log

150g walnuts

50g almonds, toasted 

250g dried dates, chopped

100g dried apricots, chopped

50g chopped crystallised ginger

1 or 2 Tblsp brandy

1 Tblsp honey

2 tsp mixed spice

Put half of the nuts into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until fairly finely ground. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until well combined and the mixture starts to come together.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and, using wet hands, form into logs about 1 or 2 inches in diameter. I made 5 short logs from this recipe. Wrap the logs in clingfilm and chill in the fridge to firm up. Wrap the clingfilm enclosed logs in decorative paper and include in a hamper of other delicious savoury treats. Ensure the logs are kept cold/refrigerated. These logs will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Savoury Cheese Biscuits

100g butter, chilled and diced
100g strong Cheddar
100g plain white or wholemeal flour

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan. Line 1 or 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Put the butter, cheese and flour into a food processor and process until the mixture forms a stiff ball of dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter then wrap in clingffilm and chill in the fridge for half an hour or until you are ready to bake the biscuits.  

Cut 1/2cm slices off the biscuit dough log and put them on your prepared trays, allow a little room for them to spread.

Bake in your preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Leave the biscuits to cool on the trays for a couple of minutes then carefully transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Store the biscuits in an airtight container.  The cooked biscuits can also be frozen.

*I was compensated for my time, expertise and ingredients when creating these recipes*

1 comment Basics, Biscuits, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Vegetarian

Easy Christmas Cake Balls

I was asked by the lovelies at Sainaburys to come up with an easy edible Christmas gift recipe.  I've been making these Christmas cake balls for a few years now and they are very simple to make but look rather impressive.  My 3 girls enjoy making them, there's no cooking involved apart from melting chocolate, the rest of the process is just assembling and decorating.

You can use homemade Christmas cake or store bought, whichever you prefer.  All the decorating supplies are readily available too.  I normally use Green and Blacks Maya Gold chocolate if giving these to adults as it adds a lovely spice and flavour, if giving to children I usually use either milk chocolate or a 60% dark chocolate.

I top my Christmas cake balls with a little white and red sugarpaste to make them look like Christmas puddings but you could decorate them however you like.  I've rolled them in finely chopped nuts or shavings of chocolate previously and they went down very well indeed.

Easy Christmas Cake Balls

400g Christmas cake
1 cup chocolate buttercream or melted chocolate
extra melted chocolate for dipping
white and red sugarpaste
red edible glitter

Crumble the Christmas cake into a bowl and add enough buttercream or melted chocolate to moisten the crumbs so they hold together if you try and shape them into a ball.  You don't want the mixture to be too wet.

Form the mixture into balls then put them on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper.  Chill in the fridge to firm up.  Roll out the white sugarpaste on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar and cut out small white flower shapes with a cutter.  Roll small portions of red sugar paste into balls and then roll in edible glitter.

Melt the chocolate, either in a microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, then dip the balls in the chocolate and return to the chilled tray.  Top with the white and red sugarpaste decorations before the chocolate sets as this will adhere them to the cake balls.  Leave to set at room temperature or chill in the fridge for a short time if you are in a hurry.  These are best eaten within 3 days of making them.

*I was compensated for my time, expertise and ingredients when creating this recipe*

2 comments Basics, Cakes, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Sweets, Vegetarian

Mini Christmas Cakes

I made these to put in our Homemade Christmas Hampers, they have the flavour of Christmas Cake but are much lighter and easier to make.  My husband, who normally dislikes fruitcake, declared them to be delicious.  These Mini Christmas Cakes are a delicious treat for a festive afternoon tea, keep some on hand for unexpected visitors or for a sneaky snack with a cuppa.

Mini Christmas Cakes - Makes 10

100g softened butter
110g light soft brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 free range eggs
2 Tblsp brandy or orange juice, I used Cherry Brandy
75g self raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
160g sultanas
170g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 160C and line 10 holes of a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add the vanilla, egg, orange juice or brandy and mix until completely incorporated.  Sift over the flour and spice and gently fold through with the fruit until you have a smooth mixture.  Try not to over-mix or beat the mixture or your cakes will be heavy.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the paper cases and smooth the top. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.  Cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  

We iced ours with a simple icing sugar and water icing and decorated them with store bought decorations.

2 comments Basics, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Muffins, Snacks

Stained Glass Christmas Biscuits

I bake these biscuits every year, to decorate our tree and to give as gifts.  They are so easy to make, look very festive and always go down well.  My daughters love giving these to their friends with a homemade Christmas card attached, they seem to suddenly have rather a lot of friends this time of year.

Stained Glass Christmas Biscuits 

175g butter, softened

100g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp ground cinnamon

225g plain flour

1 pack boiled sweets, I used a supermarket value brand

Preheat your oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas Mark 3.  Line two baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and, using a stand mixer or hand held electric beater, beat until pale and smooth.  Add the flour and mix to bring the dough together by hand.

Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest and chill for half an hour in the fridge.  Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured work surface using a rolling pin until the dough is 0.5cm thick.

Use a large Christmas themed cutter to cut shapes from the dough.  Use a smaller cutter to cut out shapes from the middle of the larger shapes.  Make sure you leave at least a 1cm border of biscuit dough around the edge of each cut out inner shape.

Put the cut out biscuits on to the prepared trays.  Separate the boiled sweets into colours and each colour into a separate plastic bag.  Finely crush using a rolling pin.  Sprinkle the crushed sweets into the cut out sections of each biscuit ensuring the whole shape is filled in.  If you want to hang the biscuits make a small hole in the border of each biscuit before baking with a skewer or drinking straw. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes or until the biscuits are pale golden, the sweets melted and the edges are just starting to turn golden.  Leave to cool on the trays for 5 - 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Leave a Comment Basics, Biscuits, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Snacks

Sugared and Spiced Nuts - Two Ways

These are a fab last minute gift or Christmas nibbles idea, simple and really moreish.  I used Kilner Jars to package mine as the jars keep the contents really fresh and are handy for so many things once the contents have been eaten. 

Sugared and Spiced Nuts - Saucepan Method

350g mixed nuts

220g caster sugar

250ml water

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Line a large baking tray with non stick baking paper.  Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan.  Stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Bring to the boil.  Boil steadily, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, start to stir the mixture, keep stirring until the sugar crystallises around the nuts.  Turn out on to the prepared tray and leave to cool before separating the nuts and storing in airtight jars or packaging in cellophane bags.

Sugared and Spiced Nuts - Easy Oven Method

100g icing sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

350g mixed nuts

Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan.  Line a large baking tray with non stick baking paper.

Combine the icing sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Put the mixed nuts in a colander and thoroughly rinse under cold water.  Tip the wet nuts onto the prepared baking tray.  Sift the cinnamon and icing sugar mixture over the nuts and toss them until they are well coated.

Roast the nuts for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until fragrant and browned.  Cool on the tray.  Separate the nuts and store in airtight jars or package in cellophane bags.

Leave a Comment Christmas, Gift Ideas, Snacks, Sweets, Vegetarian

Salted Caramel Truffles

These were a huge hit on the school run with my team of taste testers!  We've already made several batches and given them as gifts.  You can package them in giftboxes, jars, cellophane bags or put them on sticks for individually wrapped treats.

Salted Caramel Truffles

110g caster sugar

30ml/2 Tblsp water

125ml cream

200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used 72% dark chocolate)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

½ tsp salt

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan over a low heat.  Cook, stirring, until sugar has completely dissolved.  Increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to boil.  Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the mixture turns a rich caramel colour.  Add cream and stir until combined then remove from heat and let any bubbles subside.  Add the chopped chocolate, vanilla and salt, stirring until the chocolate has completely melted and you have a smooth mixture.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with clingfilm then leave to chill in the fridge for about half an hour to an hour or until firm.  Line an oven tray with non-stick baking paper.  I use a melon baller, but you can use a teaspoon and damp hands, to roll about 1 - 2 teaspoons of the mixture into small balls.  Repeat until all the mixture has been used up then put the tray into the fridge to chill again so the truffles can firm up.

Basic Chocolate Ganache

200g dark or milk chocolate, roughly chopped

150ml double cream

Heat the cream until almost boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until you have a smooth mixture.  Add a little liqueur or flavouring if you like.  Leave to cool until thickened, you can refrigerate the mixture if you are in a hurry.  Line an oven tray with non-stick baking paper.  I use a melon baller, but you can use a teaspoon and damp or cocoa powder covered hands, to roll about 1 - 2 teaspoons of the mixture into small balls.  Repeat until all the mixture has been used up then put the tray into the fridge to chill again so the truffles can firm up.

Covering/Dipping the truffles

Put 200g of chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.  You want the chocolate to melt slowly and not get too hot.  Stir the chocolate occasionally until it has melted and is completely smooth.  Dip each truffle into the chocolate, making sure it is well coated, tap off the excess then put it back onto the chilled tray.  Repeat until all the truffles have been dipped.  Decorate the top of each truffle with festive sprinkles if you want.  Set aside until the chocolate has set.

3 comments Basics, Christmas, Gift Ideas

Cranberry Jam and a Christmas Wreath

I love giving homemade gifts at Christmas, it is usually cheaper and you don't have to battle the crowded shops quite so much.  I saw fresh cranberries in the supermarket and decided to try making jam out of them instead of Cranberry Sauce, the jam wasn't as tart and sharp as I expected.  It is delicious on freshly baked bread.

The lovelies at Hobbycraft sent me some goodies to help with our homemade Christmas gift giving and crafting.  I used their jars for the jam and the tree decorations decorating the jars are from there are well.

Cranberry Jam

350g  fresh cranberries

350g caster sugar

Put a film of water in the bottom of a large heavy based saucepan, add the cranberries and sugar.  Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves; this will take a little while so be patient.  Turn up the heat and boil the mixture rapidly until setting point is reached, about 5 - 7 minutes.  Pour the jam into a sterilised jars and seal immediately.  I sieved my jam to get a clear jam but you don’t have to.

Our Christmas Wreath

Hobbycraft is a regular haunt of mine, it is also the one shop my three daughters pester me to take them to visit regularly.  We were delighted to receive a large package of Christmas crafting materials from them and I shall be blogging about other things we make as we work our way through the supplies. We made this Christmas wreath this past weekend using decorations supplied by Hobbycraft and some crocheted by 7yo who is barely without a crochet hook in her hand lately.

Leave a Comment Basics, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Review

Festive Fruit Pies

I made these fruit pies for an after school treat last week with fruit I had in our fruit bowl that needed using up.  They are great for those who dislike traditional fruit mince as they taste lighter and are suet and alcohol free.  Perfect for afternoon tea or pudding, anytime of year not just in the run up to Christmas.  Use whatever pastry you like.  I made my own but filo or store bought shortcrust pastry would work just as well.

Festive Fruit Pies

I used the pastry recipe from this post.

Filling:
2 eating apples
2 pears
4 plums
75g dried cranberries
3 Tblsp water or orange juice
1 Tblsp caster sugar or light soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Make the pastry and leave it to chill in the fridge whilst you make the filling.  Peel and core the apples and pears then dice them into small pieces, chop the plums into cubes the same size as the apples and pears.  

Put a saucepan over a low heat and add the prepared fruit along with the water.  Cook, covered, for about 15 - 20 minutes until the fruit has softened.  Add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla then cook for another 5 minutes.  Cool to room temperature before using.

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin and preheat your oven to 190C.  I use a metal muffin tin which helps to avoid my pies having soggy bottoms.

Roll out your pastry and cut 12 circles big enough to line the holes of the muffin tin.  Press each circle of pastry gently but firmly into each of the muffin tin holes then fill each three quarters full with fruit filling.  Cut out 12 circles which will form lids for the pies and put on top of each filled pastry case.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.  Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I have entered these Festive Fruit Pies into Feel Good Food created by Victoria and hosted by JibberJabberUK where the theme is Cranberries.

I've also joined in the Festive Photos fun with No Croutons Required hosted by Jac over at Tinned Tomatoes.

I'm also linking up with The Spice Trail hosted  by Bangers and Mash, where the theme is Cinnamon.

I am also joining in with Tea Time Treats which is being hosted by Kate for the last time, Karen will be announcing a new cohost next year.

10 comments Basics, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Puddings, Snacks, Vegetarian

Chocolate Fudge

My husband loves chocolate fudge and I do make it during the year not just in the run up to Christmas.  I do make quite a few batches to give as gifts as once you get the hang of making it you can whip up batches quite easily and it makes a tasty and thrifty gift.

I was sent some chocolate by Sainsbury's to review so used some in the fudge.  It gave the fudge a rich chocolaty flavour.

Chocolate Fudge

397g tin sweetened condensed milk

100g butter, cut into cubes

250g light soft brown sugar

1 Tblsp golden syrup or honey

100g milk or dark chocolate, finely chopped

Grease and line a 20cm square with non-stick baking paper.

Put the condensed milk, butter, brown sugar and golden syrup into a heavy based saucepan set over a low heat

Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.  Increase the heat slightly and bring the mixture to the boil  Don’t turn up the heat too high or the mixture will burn.  Once the mixture is boiling, simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the base of the pan.  Take care while the mixture boils and during stirring as the fudge will be very hot.

To test whether the fudge is ready check with a sugar thermometer that the fudge has reached 118°C.  Alternatively. drop a little of the mixture into a cup of ice-cold water.  A soft ball of fudge should form.

Once the fudge has boiled long enough, take it off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate.  Stir until smooth and well combined.  Beat the fudge until very thick, it loses the glossy sheen and it is starting to set.  This can take up to 10 minutes with a wooden spoon.  I use a hand held electric mixer on a very low speed for 5 minutes.  Pour the fudge into the prepared cake tin.  Put the cake tin onto a trivet and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm.  Cut the fudge squares as you would like them then package them to give as gifts.  Always remember to taste test some yourself!

I'm joining in the festive photo fun with No Croutons Required hosted by Jac over on Tinned Tomatoes.

I'm entering this recipe into Tea Time Treats, it is Kate's last month hosting this blog challenge, but I am sure Karen will announce her new co-host next year.  The theme is Festive Foodie Gifts.

6 comments Basics, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Review, Sweets, Vegetarian

Christmassy Clementine Cakes

We were delighted to receive a large fruit box from Fruitdrop which we are working our way through. We eat a lot of fruit normally so this box was perfect with enough fruit to last us a week.

Fruitdrop is mainly aimed at offices and businesses with boxes containing 50 pieces of fruit starting at £20. You can also order milk along with your fruit and delivery is available UK wide on a one off or regular basis. The fruit sourced from wholesale markets within the UK, although not all fruit delivered is grown in the UK. Fruitdrop also guarantee to replace any fruit which may be over-ripe or damaged.

I decided to make some Christmassy Clementine Cakes with some of the delicious Clementines from our Fruitdrop box. These moist festive morsels are just the thing to have with a cuppa and help you through a chilly December afternoon.  I used some disposable square mini cake cases that I found in my baking stash but you can use muffin cases in a muffin tin or disposable mini loaf cases if you want.

Christmassy Clementine Cakes

5 clementines

180g softened butter

180g caster sugar

4 medium free range eggs

180g self raising flour

Preheat your oven to 190C/170C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with foil or paper cases.  Finely grate the zest from the clementines.  Beat the clementine zest, butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat in each egg with a tablespoon of flour.  Stir in the remaining flour until you have a smooth mixture.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean.  Whilst the cakes are in the oven juice the clementines.  Pour a tablespoon or two of clementine juice over the cakes when they come out of the oven and leave to cool.  

Roll out some white sugarpaste and cut circles the same size as the top of the cupcakes.  Cover the top of each cupcake with a circle of sugarpaste and decorate with snowflakes cut out of the remaining sugarpaste.  I dusted mine with some edible lustre dust for an extra festive sparkle.

Many thanks to Fruitdrop for the delivery of a large fruit for us to review.  My Christmassy Clementine Cakes recipe was commissioned by Fruitdrop.

2 comments Cakes, Christmas, Gift Ideas, Muffins, Party, Review

Festive Brioche

I travelled to London on a chilly sunny day this week to attend a Brioche Masterclass in association with Brioche Pasquier.  There were blogging friends old and new to natter with as we baked, and of course delicious morsels to keep us going.

After getting slightly lost on the way to the venue, involving a hike up and back down a very big hill, we got to the event and after a welcome cuppa got started on the brioche baking process.  Note to self: Never trust instructions on the website of a venue, always use your own map, and if Wharf is mentioned in the venue address it is unlikely to be uphill. Yes Helen, you were right!

I had a fab time and adapted the recipe from the event to bake some Festive Brioche which went down very well in our household.  These would be fab for afternoon tea, brunch or a breakfast on the go.

Festive Brioche

500g strong bread flour

100g water

3 free range eggs

125g butter

60g caster sugar

40g instant yeast

8g salt

60g caster sugar

1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

100g dried cranberries

100g chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate

Glaze:

1 free range egg

2 Tblsp milk

Put the flour into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the salt and first measure of sugar to one side of the bowl and then add the yeast to the other side of the bowl.  Add the water, eggs and butter than mix on a low speed for 3 minutes then 5 minutes on medium speed.  Add the rest of the sugar and mixed spice before kneading for another 5 - 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic.

Knead through the chocolate and cranberries.  Divide the dough into portions of 50g and shape each into a ball.  Put on lined baking trays and brush with water to stop the dough from drying out.  Leave to prove until doubled in size, this took about an hour and a half. Brush the brioche with the glaze and sprinkle over crushed sugar if you like.

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan and bake the brioche for 10 - 12 minutes.  Leave the brioche to cool before serving.

I iced these Brioche with orange flavoured icing and topped them with festive sprinkles

I topped these Brioche with crunchy Demerara sugar before baking.

Many thanks to Brioche Pasquier for the goodie bag and for paying my travel expenses to attend the event.

2 comments Basics, Bread, Breakfast, Christmas, Gift Ideas, PR Event, Vegetarian