Charlotte Pike

Food & Drink Expert

Baking

Gingerbread biscuits

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Gingerbread biscuits are one of my favourite Christmas treats. They keep extremely well and are loved by friends and family of all ages. I’ve been tinkering with my gingerbread recipe this year, and this one is, I think, my best ever. My original recipe is still very popular, and requires fewer ingredients, but these are my all-time favourite now. I haven’t bothered with icing biscuits this year, as I just haven’t had the time, but I think these are rather charming cut into Christmas tree shapes and sprinkled with a little icing sugar.

Gingerbread biscuits

Makes 18 large biscuits

Ingredients

250g plain flour, plus a little extra for the work surface

85g light brown soft sugar

4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pinch salt

75ml golden syrup

120g butter, softened

1 egg yolk

 

Method

Start by sifting the flour, sugar, ginger, nutmeg, bicarb. and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add the syrup, butter and egg yolk and mix well to combine. This is easiest done in a stand mixer. The mixture will form a fairly firm dough when it’s mixed together. Bring the dough into a ball and flatten to form a disc, around 3 cm thick. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C and line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.

Once the dough is chilled, remove from the fridge and unwrap. Sprinkle the work surface with extra flour and roll out the dough to around 7-9mm thick. Cut out shapes and lay them out on the baking sheet, remembering to leave at least 15mm between each biscuit, as they do expand in the oven.

Once all the shapes have been cut, bake for 7 or 8 minutes for a soft gingerbread texture and 8-10 for a crispier biscuit.

 

When the biscuits have been cooked, transfer the gingerbread to a wire rack to cool fully. They are rather nice enjoyed warm though. They keep for 7-10 days stored in an airtight container.

Welsh Cakes

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I first tasted an excellent Welsh Cake on a trip to Cardiff around five years ago. I was visiting with my sister, and we decided to take a walk around the waterfront. We passed a tiny shop, which had just enough space for a small counter and griddle, on which a steady stream of fresh Welsh cakes were cooked and sold piping hot in paper bags. I couldn’t resist buying a few, and I can only describe them as a complete revelation. I would liken them to scones; when shop bought, they are hideous, but when cooked fresh, they are scrumptious – soft, light dough, packed with juicy sultanas and a faint spicy note, topped with a light dusting of crunchy sugar.

I’ve been meaning to make them ever since, but producing four cookbooks in quick succession has left me with less time for experimentation than I’d have liked. However, I’ve finally had time to have a play around and have come up with this recipe. It’s based on a Be Ro recipe which must be 30 years old at a guess, but I’ve adjusted the quantities and flavourings to make it even more delicious. I do hope you enjoy them, too. They’re ever so easy to make, and would be really fun to make with children, too.

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Welsh cakes

Makes around 20

Ingredients

500g self-raising flour, plus extra for the work surface

100g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 generous pinch sea salt

1 tsp mixed spice

250g salted butter

150g sultanas

1 large egg, beaten

3 tbsp whole milk

Method

Place the flour, sugar, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl and stir well to evenly distribute the flavourings amongst the flour. Add the sultanas and stir again.

Next, whisk the egg and milk together, and pour into the dry ingredients. Gently stir to form a stiff dough.

Lightly dust the work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Roll it in flour to cover all surfaces and roll out to just under 1cm thick. Taking a 5-6cm round cutter, stamp out discs of dough. Bring the remaining dough into a ball and roll again, using a little more flour if you need it.

Once all your dough is used, place a large non-stick frying pan onto a medium heat to warm. Your pan needs to be hot, but not smoking, or too hot even, as the Welsh cakes will burn too quickly. Place the discs into a dry pan and cook for around 3-4 minutes on each side until they are a medium brown colour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before eating. They keep well for 3-4 days, stored in an airtight container.

 

Last minute Christmas cake

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So, it’s December and your plans to make a Christmas cake haven’t materialized. Despite my best intentions, I seem to find myself in this position every year, and I don’t think I’m alone.

Fear not, however, because here is my foolproof recipe for a last-minute Christmas cake. It’s adapted from Delia Smith’s last minute mincemeat Christmas cake recipe, and it’s a recipe I have been making for several years now, adapting and, I think, improving the recipe. The only thing I’d recommend doing in advance is soaking the fruit in Brandy overnight.

This is a cake that can be made right up until Christmas. It really doesn’t need time to mature, and manages to strike a balance between a rich, fruity cake, but it is also lighter in texture – not quite the deep, dark and dense cake we often expect at this time of year, and as such, I find it is more widely enjoyed by people who have tried it. Especially those who think they don’t like Christmas cake – they seem to love this one.

It can be decorated traditionally, as I have done in the photo using marzipan and fondant icing. Or, simply brush the top with apricot jam and decorate with some beautiful dried fruit and nuts, which I often do. It is worth mentioning that it keeps better if it’s iced, depending on how far in advance you’re making the cake, and also how quickly you’re likely to get through the cake when it’s first cut.

This is not an especially large cake, made in a 20cm or 8 inch tin. But as with anything, I always think less is more – everyone can have a couple of slices and really enjoy it, rather than end up feeling joylessly obliged to keep eating your cake until March.

Last minute Christmas cake

Makes 1 x 20cm/8” cake which serves 16-20

Ingredients 

For overnight soaking:

300g dried fruit – I always use sultanas, not raisins

100g candied peel, chopped – I use homemade – a mixture of half blood orange, half lemon

400g jar excellent quality mincemeat

150ml brandy

For the cake:

150g butter

150g dark brown muscovado sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp mixed spice (ensure it contains cinnamon, not cassia)

Zest of 1 orange

Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

225g self raising flour, sifted

3 tsp baking powder

Method

Start by soaking the fruit overnight. You can get away with around 4 hours soaking, but overnight is best if you possibly can. Place all the ingredients together into a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Cover with cling film and leave.

The next day, line your cake tin well using non-stick greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 150C Fan/170C/Gas Mark 3.

Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat together well. Add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition. The mixture will be quite runny at this stage. If you have one, it’s a good idea to use a stand mixer or electric beaters here to ensure the mixture is beaten even more thoroughly than you can manage by hand.

Add the salt, spices, orange and lemon zest and the soaked fruit, including all the liquid. Beat together well. Finally, add the sifted flour and baking powder and fold in gently until evenly combined.

Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and neatly level off. Bake, uncovered for 90 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s cooked. It may need another 15-30 minutes covered to cook through if your oven is a little slow. Covering the cake in foil will stop it from browning too much.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Remove the paper and allow to cool fully before wrapping and storing or decorating.

In theory, this cake can be eaten same day – it needs no maturing or feeding before being ready to enjoy.