FOR THE LOVE OF BAKING
JUST YOU, A PINNY, THE RADIO AND WARMING AROMAS FROM THE OVEN… GIVE YOURSELF A DAY OFF WORK AND REVEL IN THE PROCESS
Linzer biscuits
These Austrian biscuit sandwiches – dusted with icing sugar – are pretty for both gifts and gatherings. The combination of buttery hazelnut shortbread and raspberry jam tastes good at any time of year.
Makes about 24
100g hazelnuts 100g brown sugar 325g plain flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp sea salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon 225g unsalted butter, softened 1 egg 250g raspberry jam 100g icing sugar, for dusting
1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/ Gas 6. Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and skins loosen (about 6 mins). Rub the nuts in a clean tea towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off).
2 Blitz the toasted hazelnuts and 50g brown sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground.
3 In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4 Beat butter and remaining 50g brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (about 5 mins).
5 Add nut mixture to the butter mix and beat until combined well, about 1 min. Beat in the egg. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
6 With floured hands, form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 12cm-wide disc. Chill discs, wrapped in cling film, until firm – about 30 mins in the freezer or 2 hours in the fridge.
7 Roll out 1 disc of dough ⅓ cm thick between 2 sheets of greaseproof (keep remaining dough chilled). If dough becomes too soft to roll out, rewrap in plastic and chill until firm.
8 Cut out as many biscuits as possible from dough with round, heart or starshaped biscuit cutters and transfer to two large baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper, arranging about 2cm apart. Using smaller cutters, cut out centres from half of the biscuits, reserving centres and rerolling along with scraps (reroll only once).
9 Bake biscuits in the centre of the oven, one sheet at a time, until edges are golden, 10–15 mins, then transfer with a spatula to cooling racks.
10 Repeat steps 7–9 with second disc. 11 Once completely cool, spread about 1 tsp jam on the flat side of 1 solid biscuit; repeat with the other solid rounds.
12 Liberally dust the windowed biscuits with icing sugar, then use them to sandwich the jammy rounds together. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Honeyed ginger clementine cake
Think lemon drizzle but a honeyed, spelt, spiced and clementine-rich version. Best served warm with cream and extra warmed honey and fresh clementine slices. A delicious alternative to Christmas pudding.
Serves 12
8 clementines 4 eggs 100g brown sugar 300ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing ½ tsp sea salt 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger or 1 tsp dried ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves 225g spelt flour, plus extra to coat the cake tin 75g ground almonds 200g runny honey
you will need
A 23cm bundt pan or loosebottomed cake tin
1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/ Gas 6. Grease and lightly flour a 23cm bundt pan or a round loosebottomed cake tin.
2 Carefully slice 2 clementines into ½cm slices. Squeeze the juice from the ends and juice the remaining six clementines.
3 Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat together with a handheld electric beater, or using a freestanding mixer, for about 10 mins, until pale, foamy and slightly thickened. Add the oil and beat for another minute or two.
4 Whip into the mix the clementine juice, sea salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and spices until combined. Gently fold in the flour and ground almonds.
5 Carefully arrange your slices of clementine in a slightly overlapping circle around the inside of your tin. Gently spoon the mixture into the tin, being careful to keep the clementine slices against the edges.
6 Bake for 45–50 mins, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and stand the tin on a wire rack to cool until the cake shrinks a little from the sides of the tin. Carefully remove from tin and place on a serving plate or board.
7 In a small pan gently heat the honey until it is liquid. Pierce the surface of the hot cake all over with a small knife or skewer. Slowly pour on the hot honey so it soaks into the cake. Serve warm or cold.
Klejner
An Icelandic tradition at Christmas is to have these tasty yeast-free doughnuts with coffee or glögg (see over the page).
You might think 30 sounds like a lot but do make the whole batch as they’re incredibly addictive, and in our experience they soon go.
Alternatively, you can freeze or refrigerate any leftover dough to make a batch another day.
Makes about 30
500g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp baking powder 175g caster sugar 1 tsp ground cardamom seeds 125g butter 3 eggs 4 tbsp buttermilk 1 litre sunflower or rapeseed oil, for frying Icing sugar, to dust
you will need
A ravioli cutter (or just a sharp knife if you prefer) for cutting the dough shapes
1 In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, cardamom and a pinch of sea salt.
2 Cut the butter into small cubes and toss it through the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3 In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then mix through the buttered flour. Add the buttermilk, little by little, until everything comes together to make a pastry-like dough. Wrap the dough and chill for 30 mins in the freezer or 2 hours in the fridge.
4 Liberally dust a large, clean worksurface with flour. Roll out the dough out until it’s about 5mm thick. Use a sharp knife or a fluted ravioli wheel to cut the dough into 2½ x 8cm strips, cutting the edges at an angle, so each piece of dough is like a little diamond shape.
5 Heat the oil to 160°C, using a thermometer to check the temperature, or drop a small piece of dough into the oil – the oil is hot enough if the dough comes back up to the top within a few seconds of dropping it in.
6 Fry 2 or 3 klejner at a time, turning them once in the oil until they are golden on both sides, then drain them on kitchen towel. Cool them slightly before dusting with icing sugar for a frosted look. Serve warm.
Glögg
This Swedish version of mulled wine is laced with extra spices, dried fruit (traditionally it’s raisins, but we went for cranberries) and toasted almonds. It goes really well with any of the bakes featured here.
Makes 2 litres
2 oranges 350ml water 12 cloves 3 broken cinnamon sticks 4 star anise 10 bruised cardamom pods A grating of fresh nutmeg (optional) 6 x ½cm-thick slices of fresh ginger 250g demerara sugar 4 tbsp dried cranberries 2 x 750ml bottles of red wine 250ml brandy 4 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
1 Squeeze the juice from one of the oranges into a large pot. Add the water, all the spices, ginger, sugar and cranberries. Gently simmer for 45 mins to release all the flavours of the spices and melt the sugar. Bring to the boil and let it bubble away for 2–3 mins, adding more water, if needed.
2 Thinly slice the remaining orange. Add it to the pot, along with the wine, brandy and toasted flaked almonds. Simmer for 15–20 mins, or until it’s fully warmed through. Serve warm, ladled into heatproof glasses.
Mulled wine brownies
A ripple of Scandinavian mulled wine (glögg) gives these gorgeous gluten-free brownies a delicious festive twist. A lovely gift, food for a party or moreish dessert.
Serves 8–12; gluten free
225g dark chocolate 100g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing 4 eggs 225g icing sugar 2 tbsp chestnut flour or cornflour 6 tbsp mulled wine (see glögg recipe, opposite) 4 tbsp flaked almonds
1 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ Gas 5. Rub enough butter to lightly coat the inner base and sides of an 18cm square or 16 x 10cm tin.
2 Melt the chocolate and butter together. The best way to do this is to put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and stand the bowl in warm water, stirring occasionally.
3 Separate the eggs, straining the whites into a large metal, ceramic or glass bowl (not plastic). Place the egg yolks in another large bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fluffy, as if making meringue.
4 Add the icing sugar to the egg yolks and beat with a wooden spoon until well combined. Whip in 3 tbsp of the mulled wine to loosen the mix.
5 Add the melted chocolate and butter mix to the egg yolks. Then, little by little, fold the egg whites through (with a metal spoon) until everything is combined.
6 Spoon into the prepared tin. Drizzle the remaining mulled wine over the top and use the tip of a butter knife to ripple it through. Scatter the flaked almonds on top.
7 Bake in the centre of the oven for 30–40 mins or until set around the edges but still a little soft in the very centre.
8 Cool for 10–15 mins in the tin before cutting into squares. Delicious warm from the oven, these brownies will also keep in an airtight container for up to a week.