SIMPLE SEASONAL SWEET TREATS
Twinkle, twinkle, little cakes. Try our cool iced treats and bakes. Including the easiest chocolate yule log ever
BLACK FOREST LOG MAKES 1 X 30CM LOG
150g dark chocolate (about 70 per cent cocoa) broken into pieces 50g milk chocolate broken into pieces 125g unsalted butter diced 2 tbsp dark rum or orange juice 2 medium egg yolks 50g shelled pistachios 50g raisins 90g undyed glacé cherries halved 150g shortbread biscuits cut into 1cm dice icing sugar for dusting
Gently melt the two chocolates and butter in a large bowl set over a pan containing a little simmering water, then stir in the rum or orange juice and the egg yolks until smooth. Fold in the pistachios, raisins, cherries and biscuits, including any crumbs. Chill for 30 minutes until firm enough to shape.
You will be making a log about 30cm long, so tear off a large sheet of clingfilm with several inches to spare either end. Spread the chocolate mixture into a long sausage a few centimetres in from the edge. Wrap up the log in the clingfilm as tightly as possible, then twist the ends to secure it. Roll it backwards and forwards on the work surface, squeezing it with your hands to smooth the surface. It will remain craggy, but you don’t want deep craters. Chill for several hours until firm.
Unwrap the log and liberally dust with icing sugar, turning it as required, then slice 1cm-2cm thick to serve. The log will keep well for many days, stored chilled and wrapped in clingfilm.
CHRISTMAS ROSE ROULADE MAKES 1 X 23CM ROLL
SPONGE 4 medium eggs separated 70g golden caster sugar 70g plain flour sifted 15g unsalted butter melted icing sugar for dusting 2 tbsp kirsch or other fruit liqueur FILLING AND FROSTING 2 gelatine leaves cut into wide strips 200g zero-fat greek yoghurt 300ml whipping cream 60g icing sugar ½ tsp rose extract or to taste OPTIONAL DECORATIONS rose petals and pomegranate seeds
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5, butter a swiss roll tin (about 32cm x 23cm) and line the base with baking paper. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until risen and fluffy. Reserving a tablespoon of the sugar, whisk the remainder into the egg whites a tablespoon at a time, until you have a glossy meringue mixture.
Whisk the egg yolks and reserved sugar in a medium bowl for a minute or two until pale and frothy. Fold into the egg whites, then fold in the flour half at a time, and finally the melted butter. Smooth the mixture evenly over the base of the prepared tin using a palette knife.
Bake for about 10 minutes until set and puffy. The cake will sink level a few minutes out of the oven.
Lay out a clean tea towel on the worktop and liberally sift over a thin layer of icing sugar, a little larger in area than the sponge. Run a knife around the edge of the sponge and turn it out on top, leaving the paper in place. Carefully roll it up with the tea towel, starting at the short end (and still with the paper in place) so you end up with a short fat roll. Leave to cool for an hour.
When ready to assemble, make the filling. Place the gelatine in a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Drain, pour over 2 tablespoons of boiling water and stir to dissolve (if necessary you can warm the bowl over a pan of simmering water to help it dissolve). Whisk in the yoghurt a heaped tablespoon at a time. In another large bowl, whisk the cream with the icing sugar and rose extract until it forms firm, fluffy peaks. Fold the yoghurt mixture into the cream in two goes.
Carefully unroll the sponge with the short side facing you and peel off the baking paper. Drizzle over the liqueur, then spread half the cream to within a centimetre of the edge and roll up again, using the tea towel to help, and lift on to a serving plate, seam downwards. Spread the remaining cream over the top and sides, swirling the surface decoratively. Chill for a couple of hours until set. If wished, decorate with rose petals and a few pomegranate seeds.
SNOW-CRACKLE COOKIES MAKES ABOUT 14
50g plain flour 20g cocoa ½ tsp baking powder 75g golden caster sugar 30g unsalted butter diced 1 medium egg 30g dark chocolate (about 70 per cent cocoa) finely chopped about 30g icing sugar
Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a medium bowl, then stir in the sugar. Whiz the butter in a food processor until soft and creamy, then add the egg (don’t worry about the mixture appearing curdled at this point). Add the sifted ingredients half at a time and work to a sticky dough. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, then mix in the chopped chocolate. Cover and chill the dough for a couple of hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line a baking sheet with baking paper, securing the corners using dabs of the dough. Sift the icing sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into balls the size of a cherry (about 15g). Roll each one in the icing sugar so they are well coated and arrange on the baking trays, spacing them about 5cm apart. ÷Bake for 10-12 minutes; the cookies should be crisp on the outside and gooey within. The icing sugar will crackle to look like icebergs in a sea of chocolate as they bake. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before loosening them using a spatula, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. They will keep well loosely covered with clingfilm for several days. ➤
LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS BISCUITS MAKES ABOUT 20 DEPENDING ON SHAPES
BISCUITS 100g plain flour plus extra for rolling 40g ground almonds 50g golden caster sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 75g diced salted butter plus extra for greasing 1 tbsp milk ICING 50g icing sugar sifted 2 tsp water a few drops peppermint extract or food colouring a squeeze lemon juice TO FINISH writing icing of your choice
Place all the biscuit ingredients except the milk in a food processor and whiz to a crumb-like consistency, then add the milk and whiz until the dough starts to cling together. Bring it together into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm, flatten it slightly and chill for 1-2 hours, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and butter a baking sheet (or two). Flour a work surface, knead the dough until pliable, then roll out thinly (about 2mm). Stamp out biscuits using Christmas-themed cutters (as a rough guide, our cane shapes were about 10cm long, the others about 6cm).
Lift the biscuits on to the baking sheet using a palette knife. Reroll the trimmings once, cut out more biscuits and, if you like, pierce a hole in each one for threading with a ribbon when cool.
Bake for about 12 minutes until pale gold, turning the tray around halfway through so the biscuits cook evenly. Immediately loosen them with a palette knife and leave to cool.
Combine the icing ingredients to a thin coating consistency in a small bowl. Holding one biscuit at a time over the bowl, use a pastry brush to coat the surface with a thin layer. Place these on a wire rack to set for 30-60 minutes. To finish, decorate as wished with writing icing and leave to set. The biscuits will keep loosely covered for several days.
MINT CHOC-CHIP SHORTBREADS MAKES ABOUT 18
150g unsalted butter diced 75g icing sugar sifted plus extra for dusting 25g cornflour sifted 150g self-raising flour sifted 50g dark mint chocolate (about 50 per cent cocoa; for example, Lindt Excellence brand) finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor, then add the cornflour and flour. Whiz until the mixture starts to cling together in lumps, then transfer it to a large bowl, scatter over and work in the chocolate chips and bring together into a ball. Arrange about 18 paper cases inside fairy-cake tins. Roll the dough into balls the size of a walnut and place in the baking cases, gently pressing them on to the base to steady them.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly coloured, then remove and leave to cool. If using two trays the bottom may take a little longer than the top. Lightly dust with icing sugar using a tea strainer. If you like you can now peel off the paper. These will keep well for a couple of days in a sealed container.
MONT BLANC MERINGUES MAKES 16-24 DEPENDING ON SIZE
MERINGUES 3 medium egg whites 150g light muscovado sugar FILLING AND FINISHING 50g dark chocolate (about 70 per cent cocoa) broken into pieces 200g unsweetened chestnut purée (for example Merchant Gourmet brand) 30g golden caster sugar 100g extra thick double cream ½ tsp vanilla extract icing sugar and cocoa for dusting
Preheat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk to a froth the consistency of shaving foam. Sprinkle over a heaped tablespoon of sugar at a time, whisking well with each addition until you have a smooth, glossy meringue.
Line two baking sheets with baking paper, securing the corners with dabs of meringue. Drop generous heaped teaspoons of the meringue mixture on to the paper (or pipe small decorative rosettes as pictured), leaving plenty of space between them. You should get about 32 mini meringues, maybe several more.
Bake for 1¼ hours. Switch the trays around halfway through. The meringues should be crisp on the outside and sound hollow if tapped on the base. Remove and leave to cool. ÷To make the filling, gently melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan containing a little simmering water. Whiz the chestnut purée, sugar, cream and vanilla in a food processor until creamy, then add the chocolate and whiz again until smooth and combined. Select matching pairs of meringues and sandwich them with a generous heaped teaspoon of the chestnut cream. Loosely cover with clingfilm, chill and dust with icing sugar or cocoa, or a little of both, before serving. Eat on the day of making.