CHRISTMAS

This is my favourite time of the year and it never comes soon enough. Which is why we always host a Christmas in July

MINCE PIE FRUIT MINCE

400 g golden delicious apples, peeled and grated
200 g suet, grated – I always use Atora
300 g raisins
300 g currants
300 g crimson raisins
300 g sultanas
100 g candied peel
300 g Demerara sugar
zest and juice of 3 oranges
zest and juice of 1 lime
zest and juice of 1 lemon
50 ml brandy
15 ml mixed spice
5 ml ground nutmeg
5 ml ground cinnamon
30 ml good-quality brandy

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Sterilize 4 × 250 ml glass jars by placing the jars in the oven for 5–10 minutes. Bring some water to boiling point, add the lids and boil. When done, place the jars and lids on a clean tea towel until needed.

TO MAKE THE FRUIT MINCE

Place all the ingredients, except the 30 ml brandy, in a large ovenproof dish. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight: this allows the fruit to absorb the liquid and swell.

BAKING AND BOTTLING

Preheat the oven to 100 °C. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 2¹⁄₂ hours. Lift the foil often to stir the fruit so that the suet can coat it; securing the foil over the dish again afterwards. Add the 30 ml brandy, stir through and transfer the fruit mince to the jars. Cover the top of the fruit mince with a piece of wax paper and seal tightly. Keep in a cool dry cupboard.

Makes 4 × 250 ml jars

MINCE PIES

Mince pies are a great Christmas gift. My number 2 Christmas treat.

250 g sweet shortcrust pastry (see page 12)
250 ml fruit mince (see above)
water for brushing
1 egg, beaten

PREPARATION

Grease a 12-cup English bun- or muffin pan and set aside.

ASSEMBLING THE MINCE PIES

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out twelve 7 cm rounds (base) and twelve 6 cm rounds (lids). Press the base rounds over the base and sides of the prepared pan cups. Place 2 teaspoons of fruit mince into each pastry cup. Brush the lids with water and press them, water-side down, onto the fruit mince, making sure they are securely sealed. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

TO BAKE THE PIES

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Brush the top of each mince pie with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes until golden, puffed and cooked through. Dust with icing sugar and serve hot or cold.

Makes 12 mince pies

COFFEE AND PECAN NUT CAKE

I always make this cake just after Christmas, as we usually have leftover pecan nuts from our Christmas bakes.

250 g softened butter
250 g castor sugar
5 ml vanilla paste or
10 ml vanilla essence
100 ml filter coffee, cooled
300 g cake flour
15 ml baking powder
a pinch of salt
5 extra large eggs, whisked
100 g pecan nuts, chopped

ICING

250 g coffee butter icing (see page 26)
100 g toasted pecan nuts, chopped

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a 22 cm bundt cake pan.

TO MAKE THE COFFEE CAKE

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until thick, pale and fluffy. Mix in the cooled coffee. Sift together the dry ingredients and then fold into the creamed mixture. Stir in the eggs and pecan nuts. Pour into the pan and bake for 20–25 minutes.
Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Spread the coffee butter icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with the toasted pecan nuts.

AUTHOR’S TIP: When cherries are in season, I like to decorate the cake with fresh cherries.

Serves 10

FESTIVE MACAROON WREATH

If you have the patience and feel like challenging yourself, make a macaroon wreath – they are so beautiful and your guests will be blown away. This is a variation on the Rose Delight Macaroon recipe (see page 137) that adds some flair to Christmas celebrations.

170 g icing sugar
160 g ground almonds
120 ml egg whites (approximately 4 egg whites)
160 g granulated sugar
60 ml water
a few drops red gel colouring

FILLING

250 g brandy butter (see page 164)

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

TO MAKE THE MACAROONS

Place the icing sugar and ground almonds into a blender and pulse a few times. Sift the mixture three times, discarding any nuts that won’t go through the sieve. Fold 60 ml of the egg white into the sifted almond mixture. Divide the mixture between two bowls and fold the red gel colouring into one bowl of the almond mixture.
Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. The sugar syrup needs to reach 118 °C on a sugar thermometer.
Place the remaining egg whites in a heatproof bowl. When the syrup has almost reached 118 °C, using an electric beater, start whisking the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Reduce the speed and slowly add the hot syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl, taking care not to touch the moving whisk. Beat until the egg white mixture has cooled, but is still warm.
Divide the egg white mixture and gently fold half, in a figure of ‘8’, into each bowl of almond paste. It is important that the mixture holds the figure shape, but it should subside after 20 seconds: if not, give the mixture a few more gentle folds.

PIPING AND BAKING

Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag. Using a small round piping nozzle, pipe macaroon rounds, 3 cm in diameter, onto the prepared baking trays, leaving a 2-finger space between each. This gives them space to spread a little. Repeat this process until the meringue mixture is finished. Leave the macaroons to rest for 15 minutes, or until skins have formed. Bake for 13–14 minutes. The macaroons should be puffed and crispy on the outside. If they are cooked properly they should also peel off the greaseproof paper easily. Leave the macaroons on the baking trays until they have cooled completely.

ICING THE MACAROONS

Leave the macaroons on the baking trays until they have cooled completely. Pipe a little brandy butter onto half the macaroons and sandwich them together with the remaining un-iced macaroons.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Arrange the macaroons in a wreath shape and drape with a ribbon.

Makes 35

MOM’S FRUITCAKE

Mom’s delicious fruitcake! We eat this every Christmas, without fail.

2 peeled and grated Granny Smith apples
700 g dried fruit cake mix
50 g pitted and chopped dates
125 ml candied mixed peel
rind of 2 naartjies
rind of 2 lemons
250 ml brandy
250 g cake flour
a pinch of salt
2.5 ml ground nutmeg
2.5 ml ground ginger
2.5 ml ground cinnamon
2.5 ml mixed spice
200 g softened butter
200 g demerara sugar
2.5 ml vanilla paste
5 extra large eggs
45 ml brandy

PREPARATION

Place the apple, cake fruit mixture, chopped dates, mixed peel and naartjie and lemon rind into a bowl. Pour over the brandy and leave to macerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 140 °C. Grease and line the base of a 12 cm square cake pan and a 17 cm square cake pan with two sheets of baking paper each.

TO MAKE THE CAKE

Sift the dry ingredients three times, and set aside. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating continuously until all the eggs have been added. Halfway through adding the eggs, add 2 tablespoons of the sifted dry ingredients – this prevents the mixture from splitting. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients, and soaked fruit mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans.

BAKING AND COOLING

Bake for 1¹⁄₂ hours or until a metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Pour the brandy over the cakes as they come out of the oven and leave to cool in the pan.

AUTHOR’S TIP: If stored in an airtight container the cake can keep for 2 months.

Serves 12

BRANDY BUTTER

Serve with Christmas pudding, mince pies or sandwich between macaroons.

125 g softened butter
125 g icing sugar, sifted
45 ml brandy
15 ml boiling water

TO MAKE THE BUTTER

Cream together the butter and icing sugar until thick, pale and fluffy. Fold in the brandy and boiling water. Refrigerate to chill.

Makes 250 g

PEACH AND PASSION FRUIT TRIFLE

My family is not keen on trifle so we seldom made it. A few years back, my gran and I decided to prove them wrong and, since then, we have trifle every year. My number 1 Christmas treat.

SPONGE CAKE

250 g softened butter
250 g castor sugar
4 extra large eggs
1 vanilla pod, split and deseeded
250 g cake flour
7 ml baking powder
a pinch of salt
180 ml milk

FILLING

100 ml Cointreau
250 ml cream
250 ml passion fruit curd (see page 10)
100 g blueberries or
100 g toasted flaked almonds (optional)
3 poached peaches, halved, pitted and sliced into eights (see page 94)

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease and line a Swiss roll pan.

TO MAKE THE SPONGE CAKE

Cream together the butter and sugar, until thick, pale and fluffy. Slowly add one egg at a time, whisking well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla seeds.
Sift together the dry ingredients and then add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the butter mixture. The batter should be of a good stiff consistency.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly spread out with a rubber spatula. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C and bake for 15 minutes until golden on top and a metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.

ASSEMBLING THE TRIFLE

Sprinkle Cointreau over the cooled sponge cake and cut out 24 squares measuring 5 × 5 cm. Whip the cream to the stiff peak stage.
Spread a heaped tablespoon of the whipped cream onto one of the cake squares, and top with 2 teaspoons of passion fruit curd and some blueberries or almonds. Sandwich together with another cake rectangle. Spread another heaped tablespoon of cream over the sponge and top with 2 peach slices. Sprinkle over a few almonds or blueberries. Repeat this process with the remaining cakes.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Place the twelve trifles in a line on a long narrow board or platter, and serve at the table. You can make the sponge cake in advance and freeze it.

Serves 12

GINGERBREAD MEN

If you feel ambitious, you can use this dough to make a gingerbread house. Otherwise keep it simple, and enjoy decorating the biscuits with kids as a holiday activity.

BISCUIT DOUGH

75 g softened butter
50 g Demerara sugar
60 ml golden syrup
225 g cake flour
10 ml ground ginger
5 ml bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt

ICING

200 g glacé icing (see page 26) optional

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 200 °C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

TO MAKE THE BISCUIT DOUGH

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, add the golden syrup and mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients and fold into the butter mixture, mixing to form a soft dough. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until chilled and the dough is firm. Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Using a gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out 12 men and arrange 1 cm apart on the baking tray.

BAKING AND COOLING

Reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C and bake for 10–15 minutes until the biscuits are golden-brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooled, ice and decorate as you prefer.

AUTHOR’S TIP: As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, make two incisions between the arms of each gingerbread man (as pictured). Once cooled, thread a ribbon through the slits and tie onto the Christmas tree.

Makes 12 gingerbread men

MERINGUE ICE-CREAM CAKE

Don’t be put off by making an ice-cream cake. This recipe is so simple and, after a rich Christmas meal, it is so nice to have something that isn’t too sweet.

375 ml whipping cream
1 × 385 g can condensed milk
juice of 4 medium limes
zest of 1 lime
2 cups crushed meringues

PREPARATION

Line a 22 cm springform cake pan with clingfilm.

TO MAKE THE MIXTURE

Whip the cream to the stiff peak stage and set aside. Mix together the condensed milk, lime juice and zest until thick and then fold into the whipped cream.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

Pour a third of the mixture into the cake pan, sprinkle over half of the meringues, pour the next third and sprinkle over the remaining meringues and top with the remaining mixture. Cover with clingfilm.
Freeze overnight. Carefully remove the cake from the pan. Remove the clingfilm and serve.

AUTHOR’S TIP: Top the ice-cream cake with chocolate and mini hazelnut meringues (see page 56) or some lemon slices (as pictured). This dessert keeps really well in the freezer.