Christmas Cake

The smell of Christmas comes early in our house when cake, mincemeat and pudding are all made in advance, ready for the big day. This is my grandmother's recipe, a moist cake filled with dried fruits, almonds, cherries and citrus fruit. Tradition dictates that it should be made at least six weeks before Christmas to allow the flavours to mature, and once cooked it should be regularly 'fed' with brandy to keep it moist!

225g butter

225g caster sugar

340g plain flour

6 eggs

450g currants

225g large raisins

225g sultanas

100g lemon zest

50g mixed peel

100g glace cherries

100g almonds

50g ground almonds

½tsp ground cloves

½tsp ground cinnamon

½tsp ground ginger

I have substituted lemon zest for ‘lemon peel’ and mixed peel for ‘citron peel’. I have also included the option of using spices.

You can also make your own candied peel - instructions given here.

I used a 23cm diameter springform cake tin which was perfect for the amount of ingredients shown.

Note, this cake is alcohol free, so if you want a boozy version, soak the dried fruit overnight in about 100ml of good brandy.

First of all, prepare your cake tin. Cut two circles of greaseproof paper to fit the bottom. For the sides, measure around the tin and cut a length of greaseproof paper to fit, allowing about 10cm extra height. This is important to stop the cake from ‘scorching’ while it cooks. Fold up 2cm and snip at intervals up to the fold. Put around the inside of the tin (the cut edge onto the base) and put your circles in. Then wrap the outside with a double layer of brown paper (again 10cm higher than the rim of the tin) and tie it with string.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC.

Measure out the flour and add the spices. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Then beat in the lemon zest and mixed peel. Add the eggs, one at a time, alternating with a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture. Then mix in the fruit (soaked or otherwise), almonds, cherries, and the remainder of the flour mixture.

Put into the prepared tin and bake for 3-3½ hours or until a skewer comes out clean. I checked after 3 hours and it was ready. Remove from the oven, pour a little more brandy over the top and wrap the whole thing tightly in a double layer of tin foil. When it's completely cool, unwrap, take the cake out of the tin and remove the greaseproof paper. Then rewrap it in a double layer of tin foil and place it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Drizzle the cake with extra brandy during the storage time to keep it moist - my mother used to store her cake upside down and every week or so, she would unwrap it, poke a skewer into the base of the cake a few times, spoon brandy over it and wrap it up again. This made sure the top of the cake was kept moist.

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Instructions for making your own marzipan to cover your cake are given here.

And to finish off, take a look at my grandmother's royal icing recipe.

Chocolate Mousse

A good old fashioned chocolate mousse, or chocolate fluff as my grandmother called it, with just a few simple ingredients. The light and airy texture will delight all generations!

My grandmother's recipe gives ingredients and instructions for one person but you can easily adapt it according to the number of people you are serving. Or if you're home alone, feeling wicked and want to treat yourself, just make the one. Just remember that it needs to set, so you'll need to plan ahead!

I have given ingredients for four servings.

For 4 people

4 eggs, separated

110g caster sugar

50g dark chocolate - I used 70% cocoa dark chocolate which gives a rich smooth texture.

1 tsp vanilla extract

Break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a small bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Once it has melted, allow to cool slightly.

Separate the eggs and put the whites into a large bowl. Whisk to a soft peak. This helps to get bubbles into the mousse. Add the caster sugar and continue whisking until stiff.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and add the melted chocolate, the vanilla and a tablespoon of the egg whites to loosen the mixture slightly.

Then pour this chocolate mixture into the remainder of the egg whites and fold together until combined. Spoon into individual glasses and put it into the fridge to set - about 8 hours.

Before serving, top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

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Chocolate chunk pumpkin cookies

If you have a pumpkin or two left from Halloween, I would recommend making these cookies to feed hungry mouths. A combination of dark chocolate, oats, and golden syrup with a hint of pumpkin.

You will need to roast and puree your leftover pumpkin - my recipe for pumpkin soda bread gives easy instructions for how to do this.

250g plain flour

150g oats

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp salt

230g butter, melted

45 ml golden syrup (about 3 tablespoons)

150g light brown sugar

100g granulated sugar

1 egg yolk, beaten

100g pumpkin puree (once all the liquid has been squeezed out)

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g dark chocolate (cut into chunks, or you can use dark chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Squeeze the liquid out of the pumpkin puree - the easiest way to do this is to put it in between 2 sheets of kitchen paper and squeeze it out over a bowl.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, golden syrup, brown and white sugars, egg yolk, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. When combined, pour into the dry ingredients and mix. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chunks.

Scoop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets (about 2 teaspoons per cookie) and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. I like chewy cookies but the longer you bake them, the less 'doughy' they will be - up to you!

Take them out of the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

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