Rocky Road Pudding

I came up with the idea of this because my lot love Rocky Road and are not that enamoured with Christmas Pudding. You just a mix it all up and bung it in the fridge to set but get it out an hour before serving as otherwise it will be set rock solid.

200g Milk chocolate
50g Dark chocolate
1 tsp golden syrup
80g Popcorn
20g Rice Krispes
15 Marshmallows (halved)
100g Dried cranberries (apricots or sultanas work too)

To Finish
30g White melted chocolate
3 Glace cherries
2 Holly leaves

Melt the chocolate and syrup in a bowl over a saucepan of water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water. Add all of the other ingredients to the melted chocolate making sure it is all well covered.

Spoon into a 2 pint bowl lined with clingfilm. Once the bowl is full use the cling to push down and cover the top. Chill until firm.

Use the cling to ease out onto a serving plate. Pour over the white chocolate allowing to run down a little. Add cherries and holly leaves.

Christmas Fudge

At 10pm last night I decided I'd quite like to try my hand at making fudge. I have to say that I'm not a huge lover of that real chalky type so I went online and did a little research.

It seems the more you beat it the chalkier it becomes. So here is my take on fudge with a Christmas twist. 

Oh yes, and I use homemade mincemeat so there is a good glug of booze and fab flavours, but if you use shop bought I'd add a shot of something to the mincemeat and the zest of an orange.

1 can of condensed milk (397g)
120ml double cream 
100g unsalted butter
450g soft light brown sugar

For the Christmas-ness-i-ness
150g good mincemeat
Zest of a clementine
50g cranberries
60g chopped pistachio 

In a large saucepan melt the condensed milk, cream, butter and sugar over a low heat until everything has dissolved.

Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously making sure to keep scraping the base of the pan. To test the fudge is ready drop a little of the mixture into a jug of ice-cold water. 

A soft ball of fudge should form. Or check with a sugar thermometer (I used my Lakeland spatular one) (about 116°C). For a more crumbly fudge heat to 118 and beat until very firm (see next stage).

Remove from the the heat, add the mincemeat and zest then beat with a wooden spoon until it thickens and starts to firm up. Pour into a lined 2 pint loaf tin and sprinkle with the nuts. Leave to set in the fridge overnight before cutting into pieces. 

Pan-e-ttone

I love panettone but, believe it or not, this is the first one I've ever made. I have my Nan coming over for coffee in the morning so I thought this would be a great time to try making one. I can't tell you how great it smells. It needs a lot of proving because of the amount of egg yolks in it. But please have a go, you won't be disappointed. Just do some jobs or pop to the shops while it does its stuff.

350g strong bread flour
100g cornflour
30g caster sugar
10g easy blend yeast  (1 1/2 sachets)
3 tsp vanilla extract
8g salt
50g cubed softened butter
6 egg yolks
190 ml lukewarm water
150g raisins & sultanas or chocolate chunks
1 heaped tbsp peel paste or mixed peel
zest of an orange and lemon
2 tbsp ground almonds
1 egg white
niblets or crushed white sugar cubes

This is quite a sticky dough so it is best to make in a free-standing machine fitted with a bread hook. Start by adding the flours, sugar, salt and yeast into the bowl of your machine. Make a well in the centre, turn the machine on slowly and start to slowly add the water, egg yolks & vanilla. Once you have a nice wettish dough add your zests, peel and fruit. Knead on the bread hook for about 7 mins. Next add the butter in slowly with the bread hook running, knead until totally incorporated about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and leave to double in size for about 2-3 hrs. Turn out, knock back and shape into a round.

Place in to a lined 4 inch deep by 8 inch wide tin. Line the tin high with baking paper as the dough will grow over the top of the tin (see picture).  Leave to prove for 2-3 hrs until the dough has doubled. Mix together the egg white and ground almonds. Carefully brush the top of the panettone so not to deflate it. Sprinkle with sugar nibs or crushed sugar cubes. 

Bake in a preheated oven 180 for 35-40 mins or when it sounds hollow when tapped underneath. But keep an eye on it and if it starts to brown too quickly cover with baking paper. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

To make my mini panettone follow the recipe above, but after the first prove divide the dough into 12 balls and pop into panettone cups or cupcake cups, prove until doubled in size (about 45-65 mins in a warm place) Brush with the egg wash with ground almonds then sprinkle with the sugar nibs and bake in a preheated oven 170 for about 20-25 mins

3D Christmas Tree Cake

A few weeks ago I posted this cake on my facebook wall Jo's Blue AGA and promised to blog about it. Well time has been a little on the short side lately, so here I am at 5am writing up the method.

When cutting out the discs try and cut as near to the edges as possible so you get all of them out. There will probably be lots of leftovers, I made cakepops with mine. One other thing, I am making this cake slightly smaller as it was a little unstable at the height it was and I'd hate for it to topple over after all of your hard work.

You will need

1 cake board (at least 6 inches)
3-5 dowels
4 pieces of coloured sugarpaste rolled out and made into small circles and stars for the baubles and one larger star for the top.  I sprayed my stars with gold lustre spray.
2 (10 x 8) trays, greased and lined
Set of cutters starting from 4 inch
preheat the oven to 170
420g S/R flour
350g caster sugar
400g stork margarine
6 eggs
2 tsp Vanilla bean paste
Mix all of the above together in an 'all in one' method. Spoon into prepared tins and bake for 25-35 minutes until golden and when it springs back when touched. Leave for at least a couple of hours to firm up and cool completely. Then start to cut out discs of cake, starting with a 4 inch cutter, then a 3&1/2 and so on finishing with a 1&1/2 inch cutter.

For the buttercream

2kg icing sugar

1kg unsalted softened butter

Green gel colour

2 tsp bolling water

Mix the icing sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Then add the colour, start with a little and work up. Then add the boiling water, whip together until even in colour. Spoon 2 thirds into a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle and put the rest into a bowl to sandwich the cake together and crumb coat.

To Assemble

Buttercream the discs of cake into a pyramid shape. Then add the dowels, cover with a crumb coating of buttercream, and place into the fridge or freeze until firm to touch. I'd do this bit in situ, starting at the bottom of the cake pipe on the tree branches, holding the bag horizontally and pulling towards yourself, moving the cake round as you go. Once the cake is totally covered you can then add your decorations. I've given instruction for sugarpaste baubles and stars but you could let your imagination run wild. Tiny candy canes and gingerbread men would look really cute, along with presents around the base. Also it would work really well with my chocolate mud cake adapted up to fit the tins.