Mincemeat cupcakes

Fed up with mince pies? Still have mincemeat left in the cupboard? Thanks to Becky, who suggested these festive cupcakes which can be enjoyed even by those not keen on a traditional "mincer"!

Incidentally, here in France children enjoy eating "galettes" in January in honour of the 3 Kings. These can either be in the form of frangipane tarts or wreath-shaped, crystallised sugar-topped sponge cakes. Inside each there's a "fève", in former times literally a broad bean, but nowadays a small figurine. Whoever finds the fève in their slice gets to wear the cardboard crown and be king for the day.

We think it's nice to keep an element of festiveness in our food during the cold, dark days of January.

• Makes: 12

• Prep time: 10 mins
  

• Cooking time: 22 mins

• Total time: 33 mins
  

• Skill level: Easy peasy
  

• Costs: Cheap as chips

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 100g butter, unsalted
• 200g caster sugar
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 240g plain flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs, medium
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• about 130g mincemeat (100 wasn't enough for us, but 200 made the cakes too moist!)
  

Frosting

• 75g icing sugar, sifted
• 1tbsp orange juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 4
2. Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar
3. Add the vanilla extract and mix well to combine
4. Add the eggs one by one beating well after each addition
5. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the mixture folding until well combined
6. Stir in the mincemeat
7. Fill prepared cupcake cakes 2/3 full
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until well risen and golden
9. Allow to cool on a wire rack

To make the frosting:

1. Prepare the icing. Combine the orange juice with the sifted icing sugar
2. Drizzle over the top of each cupcake and serve.

Adapted from a Ruth Clemens recipe

Spicy steamed pudding

This falls into the category of "feed a Christmas cold". Lighter and spicier than a traditional spotted dick, this is still a proper British winter pudding.

2 tbsp golden syrup
125g butter or margerine
125g caster or light brown sugar
2 eggs
175g SR flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
grated rind of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
90g sultanas
40g preserved ginger, finely chopped
1 eating apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated

Thoroughly grease a 850ml/1 1/2 pint pudding basin. Put the syrup into the pudding basin.

Cream the butter/marge and sugar until very light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, following each with a spoonful of flower.

Sift the remaining flour with the cinnamon or mixed spice and fold into the mixture, followed by the orange rind and juice. Fold in the sultanas, then the ginger and apple.

Turn the mixture into the basin and level the top. Cover with greaseproof paper, then foil, making sure both are securely fastened with string. You can also tie some string over the top, which makes it easier to lift out when cooked.

Put the pudding basin into a saucepan half-filled with boiling water, cover with a lid, then steam for 1 1/2 hours, adding more water to the pan as necessary. Do not allow to boil dry!

When cooked, turn the pudding out onto a plate, and serve with custard.

White chocolate raspberry tart

An Ideal Home mag recipe, this is a lovely blend of the sharpness of raspberries with the richness of frangipane.

Serves 8-12

• 350g raspberries
• 75g caster sugar
• 4 tbsps orange liqueur

For the frangipane

• 100g white chocolate
• 115g butter at room temperature
• 115g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs, beaten
• 115g ground almonds
• 50g plain flour
• 375g sweet shortcrust pastry, baked blind and left in tin
• 1tbsp flaked almonds

Mix the raspberries with the sugar and liqueur and leave to stand for an hour.

Preheat oven to 150C/gas 2. To make the frangipane, break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over hot water. Put butter in a large bowl and cream with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs a little at a time, interspersing with almonds and flour. Beat in chocolate.

Spoon half the frangipane into the tart shell, remove raspberries from the bowl using a slotted spoon and sprinkle over the frangipane. Spoon over the rest of the frangipane, level and sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 1 hr until golden and springy.

Serve dusted with icing sugar and either ice-cream, crème fraîche or orange-flavoured cream.

Lemon cream Tarts

(Makes 24 little tartlets or one 6 spring-form cake)

Crust

1 cup pecans
1 cup of raisins
(You can also add some dried blueberries to the crust if you have
them available)

Add pecans and raisins and process until finely chopped and
mixture starts to “stick” together. Press mixture in to spring form
pan or flexible (rubber) muffin forms.

Filling

1 cup macadamia nuts
1 Tbs nuts
Juice of 1 large lemon (You may need more than one)
Zest of lemon
Juice of 1/4– ½ large orange
½ cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs water

Add all ingredients to vita-mix form and slowly blend using the
plunger to help mix the batter. Add agave or water to adjust
sweetness and consistency. The batter should be thick. Spoon out
into spring-form or muffins forms. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Posted by Katherine

Crispy apple pies

A festive choice

Ingredients (Makes 12 pies)

100g (4oz) filo pastry
1 medium orange
125g (5oz) butter softened
4 eating apples
50g (2oz) dried cranberries
50g (2oz) caster sugar
half teaspoon cinnamon
50g (2oz) butter
2 teaspoons icing sugar
1 x 12 hole muffin or deep bun tray

1. Heat the oven to 190c, 375 F, gas mark 5. Take the filo pastry out of the fridge but leave it in its wrappings. Use the small holes of a grater to grate the orange rind. Cut the orange in half and squeeze out the juice. Cut the apple into quarters. Peel them, then cut out the cores. Cut the quarters into small chunks.

2. Put the apple, orange rind and three tablesppons of orange juice into a pan. Heat gently for 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the cranberries, sugar and cinnamon. Cook the mixture for another five minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Unwrap the pastry and cut each sheet into six square. Cover it with plastic foodwrap.

3. Put the butter in a small pan and melt. Use a pastry brush to brush a little butter over one of the pastry squares. Put the square into a hold in the tray, buttered side up. Brush butter on another square. Put it over the first one, so the corners overlap. Butter and add a third square.

4. Repeat in all the holes. Bake the pastry cases in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave them in the tray for 5 minutes to cool. Then take the cases out of the tray

5. Heat the applies again for two minutes until they bubble. Spoon the mixure into the cases, so they are almost full. Then sift a little icing sugar over the pies.

Delicious with ice cream, cream, creme fraiche or natural yogurt.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

This is a great traditional recipe from last year's "Great British Bake Off" series. It's perfect for a wintry Sunday lunch.

For the sponge:

175g stoned chopped dates
1 tsp bicarb of soda
300 ml boiling water
75g softened butter
175g caster sugar
2 medium eggs beaten
175g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

For the sauce:

200g dark brown muscovado sugar
100g butter
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod

An 18cm square cake tin, greased and line.

Put the dates and bicarb of soda in a pan. Pour over boiling water. Set the pan over a medium heat and simmer for 1 min then take off the heat and leave to cool for 15 mins. It seems a bit bizarre as it does go foamy, but don't worry - this is normal!

Heat oven to 180C/gas 4. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Gently stir the flour in with a spoon, followed by the date mixture and vanilla essence. Pour into tin and bake for about 35 mins.

To make the sauce put the sugar, butter and cream into a pan, preferably non-stick. Split the vanilla pod down its length and add to the pan. Heat gently until the butter has melted, then bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until thick and toffee-coloured.

Spoon a little of the sauce over the cooked pudding to coat the surface, and return to the oven for a few minutes so the top turns sticky. Remove from the oven, cut the sponge into squares, pour the rest of the hot sauce into a jug and serve immediately.

Banoffee pancakes

Ingredients

Makes about 10 pancakes

150 g of SR flour
1-2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
150 ml milk
15 g butter (optional)

To serve
3 bananas peeled and sliced
icecream or whipped cream
200 ml dulce de leche

Method

1. Sift the flour into a bowl, add the sugar and mix together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk, then make a well in the centre, pour in the liquid and mix until just combined. (be careful not to over-stir or the finished pancakes will be tough)

2. Melt about a third of the butter (if using) in a small frying pan on a medium-low heat and when the butter starts to foam add generous tablespoons of the batter to the pan to form 3-4 pancakes. (If you're using a non-stick pan, then it isn't necessary to include butter).

Cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, by which time they should be golden-brown underneath.

3. Turn the pancaskes over and cook unti they feel set in the centre and both sides are golden-brown. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, adding more butter as necessary. Transfer the finished pancakes to a warmed plate, cover with an upturned bowl or some foil and keep warm in a low oven.

4. Serve the pancakes scattered with slices of banana, a few blobs of ice-cream or whipped cream and a drizzling of warm dulce de leche (caramel sauce)

Pear and cardamom tart

The cardamom adds an unusual twist to this frangipane, and goes beautifully with the pear.

Serves 8

550g sweet pastry
4 small ripe pears
squeeze lemon juice
drizzle honey

for the frangipane:
200g butter
220g sugar
140g ground almonds
100g SR flour
50g toasted flaked almonds
1tsp freshly ground cardamom
2 large eggs

Line an 18 x 24 cm or 23 cm circular tin with the pastry and blind bake for 15 mins at 200C/gas 6.

Decrease the oven to 160C/gas 3.

For the frangipane, beat all the ingredients together with an electric whisk. Put into the pastry case. Peel, halve and core the pears (a melon baller is excellent for this). Brush with the lemon juice. Arrange the pears in the frangipane, pushing them in gently. Scatter with a few more flaked almonds and bake for 50 mins until golden, risen and firm.

Serve warm or cold with honey, ice-cream or crème fraîche.