Christmas baking

CHRISTMAS is a time for baking bread, cookies, and cakes. It’s a wonderful way to bring your kitchen to life, especially if you give gifts from your kitchen. Fruit cake season means that there is extra dried fruit and spices around. Here are some wonderful ways for you to bake your way to December 25!

Festive spicy gingerbread cake

8oz butter, softened

1½ cups brown sugar

1 cup golden syrup

1 cup molasses

4 cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 tbs ground ginger

tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

For the orange icing

cups icing sugar

1 orange, juiced

Line a 9-inch square cake tin at least 1½ inches deep with baking parchment.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup and molasses into a pan and heat gently until the mixture has melted evenly. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flours, baking powder and soda, ground ginger and spices into a large mixing bowl and mix gently. Pour the cooled butter mixture into the flour. Add the eggs and milk and beat with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Pour the cake batter into the tin and level the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool slightly in the tin, then transfer the cake to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, for the orange icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of the orange juice and mix to a smooth paste. Add more orange juice, as necessary, until you get a smooth icing of the consistency you desire.

Pour the icing over the cooled cake and spread lightly, allowing it to ooze over the edges. Sprinkle over chopped orange zest and set the cake aside until the icing has set.

Makes one cake

Sugared fruit shortbread

1 cup dried fruit, raisins and currants

2 tbs rum

1 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted

1½ tsp salt

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup coarse-grained golden sugar

Wash and dry fruit, place in a bowl and add rum, stir.

Let macerate for about one hour.

Chop fruit finely in a food processor.

Cream butter with icing sugar, add salt and flour.

Mix well, add fruit and combine.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead to a uniform texture.

Divide into 2 pieces. Roll each into a 7-inch log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Chill for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F

Place golden sugar into a plate.

Slice cookies ¼ inch thick; roll in the sugar, covering the ends only.

Place on cookie sheets one inch apart

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and cool on racks.

Makes 24

Iced Christmas buns

For the dough:

1¼ cups full-cream milk

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

4½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3½ tsp instant yeast

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

For the filling

2 tbs unsalted butter melted

6 tbs soft brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1½ cups mixed dried fruit soaked in 1/3 cup rum for 1 hour and drained

For the glaze

2 tbs pineapple jam warmed, or any flavour

For the lemon icing

1 cup sifted icing sugar

zest of ½ lemon finely grated

1 tbs milk

Warm the milk and butter in a saucepan until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm.

Place flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast, combine.

Add the milk mixture and the egg and stir together with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough. You may need to add a little extra flour.

Turn the dough on to a generously floured work surface and begin to knead.

Knead for about 5–10 minutes until dough starts to form a soft, smooth texture.

When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly-oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until at least doubled in size – at least 1 hour, but it's fine to leave it for 2 hours.

Grease and flour a deep-sided baking tray, about 9 by 13inches.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and gently roll it out to a rectangle about ¼ -thick.

Brush the surface all over with the melted butter, then sprinkle over the brown sugar, cinnamon and dried fruits. Roll the dough up into a tight log and cut it into 9 slices. Place these, cut side up, in the baking pan, leaving a little space between each slice.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 350F.

Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

Brush the warm jam over the hot buns to glaze, set aside to cool on a wire rack.

When the buns are cool, mix the ingredients for the lemon icing to make a smooth icing and trickle across the top of the buns.

Makes 9 buns