#christmas

If you’ve got a sweet tooth and love the art of baking beautiful cakes, then you’re at the right place. Bundt cakes are dazzling, beautiful and taste great. One thing’s for sure, bundt cakes make a great centrepiece cake for occasions such as Christmas festivities or Thanksgiving! What is a bundt cake? Bundt cakes are essentially cakes made in a unique ring-shaped pan with fluted sides more popular in European countries. You can say it looks like a nicely formed doughnut but slightly more elevated in height and sturdiness. The good news is — bundt pans come in different materials, shapes, sizes, and designs. Some pans are made of silicone, cast iron or the more common one, aluminium. That also means you have complete control of how you want your bundt cake to look. However, it’s key to ensure that the recipe remains extremely moist as more surfaces of the cake are exposed to high temperatures, hastening the baking process. Check out this article on how to remedy baking issues if you’d like a crash course. For this recipe, we’re using a non-stick anodised aluminium

A true classic, Marzipans are a Christmas staple. Often enjoyed as a festive dessert, our twist on this sweet treat makes it deliciously bite-sized - creating perfect Christmas gifts for your friends and loved ones. Made with freeze-dried raspberries and dipped in indulgent chocolate, these delightful one-bite marzipan drops are sure to be a family favourite.

Craving for something warm and spicy when this time of the year rolls around? How about a flavourful gingerbread cake slathered with cream cheese icing, topped with a drizzle of coffee syrup! It might sound like a mishmash of flavours, but trust us, it works perfectly. Rich cream cheese pairs beautifully with the spices of the gingerbread cake (like Gingerbread Cheesecake) — and the coffee syrup gives a final touch of flavour. Check out also: Basque Burnt Cheesecake Recipe if you're feeling a little experimental! This gingerbread cake recipe makes a hefty four-layered cake though, and your Kenwood Titanium Chef XL will come in handy as you beat these ingredients together. If you want to go the extra mile, we included a little extra portion to create adorable green Christmas trees as toppers for the cake, but you don't have to do it if you're short on time! OPTIONAL: Directions for tree decorations 200g white chocolate with a few drops of green food dye, melted 15 milk chocolate twigs - you can use Pocky sticks or any sort of chocolate-coated thin biscuits Assorted sprinkles (optional) 1 x silver edible glitter spray (optional) Coconut flakes and desiccated coconut

• Melt white baking chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat the process, placing a few drops of green food dye until fully melted.
• Put the finished icing into a piping bag
• Place different lengths of chocolate twigs on baking trays, lined with baking parchment, and space out allowing enough space for the piping.
• Cut a small hole in the end of the piping bag, and working in a zigzag movement f

A pie is a sweet or savoury dish with a crust and a filling and is usually baked in a pie dish. But sometimes we want something more easy-going, organic and delightfully simple to make. Introducing the galette! What is a galette? galette is a round pastry wrapped and fruit-filled dessert that is baked on a baking sheet. The best thing about galettes is that you can make it with any kind of fruit you like. Strawberries, berries, pear, apple – the list goes on. Today, we have a delicious peach galette – a crowd of juicy peaches baked inside the most buttery, flaky and totally fool-proof pastry crust.  

Everyone always wants seconds or thirds of this awesome recipe – we think it’s because it's a classic cheesecake recipe– but it’s even better with the slight tartness of lemon inside. Tips for making this cheesecake great?

• • Make sure your cream cheese is soft, and at room temperature before starting to avoid lumps. It’s also best if your eggs and sour cream are at room temperature too.
  • Go crazy with the crust: do you want Oreo or Chocolate Chip Cookie? Or any cookie or flavour of a graham cracker? Oh, and if you're a fan of the Lotus Biscoff biscuit crust, that works too!

The same goes with topping, use what you like – Speculoos cookie crumbs, little berries, the list goes on.

A theme park staple, caramel apples are the perfect nostalgic childhood treat. A winning pairing of juicy apple with fragrant caramel, this cupcake takes inspiration from the Autumn treat and is a perfect dessert for Halloween parties. This Homemade Caramel Cupcake recipe is great for gifting neighbours during the "spooktober" season or as a sweet treat to end off your meal with. Try this out with your kids for some baking fun! You'll probably need to use a good stand mixer for this, too. Looking for more cupcake recipes? We've got a classic vanilla cupcake recipe, caramel banana coffee cake recipe & a banana-coffee-oat recipe here for your sheer indulgence. Tell us how it turns out! Without further ado, let's get started! :D

You’ve been invited to a Christmas party and have been put in charge of dessert and snacks. It is then you try to hide the panic on your face - it’s been a long time since you have attempted to make anything from scratch. In this case, making something elaborate is completely out of the question. See also: The Perfect Christmas Snack - Raspberry Marzipan Drops Not to worry – there are simpler and more fuss-free alternatives to the typical Christmas log cake. Furthermore, with Christmas turkey, roasts and deli meats already in the main course, fellow guests may just be too full to try that double chocolate cake that you slaved away in your kitchen for. Here are some light yet impressive sweet treats that are easy to prepare.

Chocolate cookies with mint cream filling

Turning up to dinner with a bag of cookies screams lazy and unenthusiastic. But what if you are really pressed for time or are on a budget? The solution? Jazz things up and make it fancy with this mint flavoured icing that you can use as a sandwich filling between two chocolate chip cookies. If you are really short on time, you can use store-bought cookies (don’t say we told you). Just make sure they are large enough to spread a considerable amount of cream filling. Ingredients:

• 250g icing sugar (adjust for sweetness)
• 57g softened butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Green food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Combine all icing ingredients. Using a hand whisk or a mixer, beat the mixture until smooth. If you are making the cookies, make sure your cookies are at room temperature before spreading the icing, or it will melt and turn sloppy. Chill the cookie sandwiches before serving.
2. That...that’s it.

Shortbread dipped in

You’ve basted the turkey, mashed the potatoes, laid the table and your home is ready to welcome guests for your perfect Christmas dinner. It’s been a whole morning and afternoon of work, and everything is in order. But somehow you can’t help but feel you’ve missed something. Then, you feel your parched throat, and suddenly your craving for delicious, creamy Eggnog hits. Oh no. You’ve forgotten to prep the beverages. Hot chocolate to keep the children well-fed and sleep-ready. Eggnog for the festive must-have. And mulled wine for the boozy Christmas party-goers. So many beverages, so little time. As usual, not to fear, we’re here with our speedy, quick and last-minute recipes for your favourite Christmas drinks. Read on to find out how you can whip up delicious festive beverages for your friends and family to enjoy after a hearty meal.

5-Minute Blender Eggnog

Light, deliciously creamy, and only takes the duration of two rounds of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, this 5-minute eggnog recipe easily whips up the classic boozy drink to hit that holiday spot! Yes, yes, you can pop by the store for some carton eggnog - but why do that when you can effortlessly boast about your homemade version? All you need is your trusty Kenwood Blender, your ingredients, and...voila! For those that are not comfortable drinking raw eggs, remember to get pasteurized eggs and add booze to sterilize the eggnog! Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp dried nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 oz cognac
• 3 oz bourbon
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream

Method:

1. Add the eggs to the blender and blend on medium for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar and continue to blend for another 20 seconds.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined.

This flourless chocolate cake is packed with rich cocoa flavour, its structure is moist and dense - it's truly the perfect ending to any hearty holiday meal. Also known as chocolate caprese cake, this traditional chocolate cake hails from the island of Capri, in the Campania region of Italy. It calls for ground almonds in place of flour, which results in a wonderfully indulgent cake. What's so good about flourless cakes, you ask? It's not just to tick the 'gluten-free' box. Omitting flour from a cake recipe results in a creamier, silkier cake texture. Generally flourless cakes don't 'rise' to the height of normal cakes, they have a slightly depressed structure in the middle. They are also much more fudgy, especially in the middle. Use a springform pan for this cake, because the absence of flour means less structure for the cake and you don't want it to collapse with a normal pan. Chef's tip: For an added kick, you can also dust espresso powder on top of the cake, which really enhances the flavour profile of chocolate. Love anything chocolate? See: Chocolate souffle, the ultimate chocolate cake, super easy chocolate bread. Want some easy festive baking recipes? See: Quick and easy Christmas treats – perfect for baking beginners