NIGELLA’S Italian Christmas Pudding Cake

‘For me, this invokes the liqueur-laden fruitiness – in lighter guise – of our own Christmas pudding,’ says Nigella.

Our undisputed queen of the Winter feast barely needs an introduction. Nigella Lawson’s seductive style and unpretentious food make her the go-to goddess for a festive centrepiece.

Hands-on time 30min, plus overnight chilling. Serves 12

◆ About 625g (1lb 6oz) panettone or pandoro

◆ 6tbsp rum, brandy or Gran Marnier

◆ 2 medium eggs, at room temperature

◆ 75g (3oz) caster sugar

◆ 500g (1lb 2oz) mascarpone, at room temperature

◆ 250ml (9fl oz) double cream, at room temperature

◆ 125ml (4fl oz) Marsala

◆ 75g (3oz) marrons glacés

◆ 125g (4oz) dark chocolate chips, or finely chopped chocolate

◆ 100g (3½oz) pistachio nuts, chopped

◆ 2tbsp pomegranate seeds

1 With a serrated knife, cut the panettone into 1cm (½in) thick slices. Use a third of the slices to line the bottom of a 23cm (9in) spring-form cake tin. Patch any gaps with torn off panettone pieces. Drizzle 2tbsp of the alcohol over the panettone to dampen.

2 For the filling, in a large bowl with an electric whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until very frothy, light and thick – about 8min. With the motor on the lowest setting, whisk in the mascarpone and cream until just combined. Gradually whisk in the Marsala and beat until thickened. In a medium bowl reserve 250ml (9fl oz) of the mixture, cover and chill.

3 Into the remaining cream mixture, crumble the marrons glacés and fold in 100g (3½oz) of the chocolate chips and 75g (3oz) of the pistachios. Spread half on to the panettone layer. Repeat layering with half the remaining panettone slices and alcohol, the remaining cream mixture and finally the remaining panettone and alcohol. Cover tin tightly with clingfilm. Press down on the top a little and chill overnight. 4 To serve, remove from fridge and unmould on to a flat plate or cake stand (it can be tricky to lift the cake off the tin base as the panettone slices at the bottom are delicate). Spread reserved cream mixture over top. Scatter over remaining chocolate and pistachios and the pomegranate seeds. Serve.

PER SERVING 667cals, 9g protein, 46g fat (27g saturates), 48g carbs (33g total sugars), 1g fibre

COOK’S TIP If you can’t find marrons glacés, use an additional 75g (3oz) mixture of chocolate and pistachios.