New, festive flavour combinations to try, fro chocolate and tahini, to Christmas pudding and rye
Clementine poppy seed loaf
If traditional fruitcake isn’t your thing, try this. Easy, inexpensive and juicy, with festive flavour.
CUTS INTO 10-12 slices PREP 30 mins plus cooling COOK 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins EASY V
140g butter, softened, plus extra for the tin 50g crème fraîche
200g golden caster sugar
1 tsp orange or vanilla extract
3 eggs
225g self-raising flour 50g cornflour
2 tbsp poppy seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
4 clementines, 3 zested, all juiced (you’ll need 100ml juice)
For the icing and decoration
140g unsalted butter 300g icing sugar 140g crème fraîche 2 clementines, zested 1 tbsp chopped candied peel (optional)
1 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and butter a 900g loaf tin. Line the base and ends with a long strip of baking parchment. Beat the butter, crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla together using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the flours, poppy seeds, clementine zest and juice. Scrape the batter into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
2 Meanwhile, for the icing, beat the butter, sugar and crème fraîche together until pale and fluffy. Add half the clementine zest and beat until just combined, then cover and chill until the cake has cooled and the icing is firm enough to spread.
3 Spread or pipe the icing over the cake. Sprinkle over the remaining clementine zest, the candied peel (if you like) and a pinch of poppy seeds. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.
PER SLICE (12) 516 kcals • fat 28g • saturates 17g • carbs 62g • sugars 44g • fibre 1g • protein 4g • salt 0.4g
Ginger & white chocolate cake
To make this sticky ginger cake a showstopper, bake it in a bundt tin. Spiced with stem ginger and decorated with white chocolate icing, it’s a real crowd-pleaser.
SERVES 10-12 PREP 20 mins plus cooling COOK 45 mins EASY V ❄
220g unsalted butter, softened
365g self-raising flour
200g muscovado sugar
50g black treacle
150g golden syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
300ml milk
2 balls stem ginger in syrup, finely
chopped, plus 50ml of the syrup
from the jar
3 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
small handful of crystallised ginger
pieces, chopped, to decorate
For the white chocolate icing
30ml milk
160g icing sugar, sieved
150g white chocolate, chopped
1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a small pan, then
