Don't like Christmas pudding? Try these showstopping alternatives 

Christmas dessert doesn't have to be pudding or trifle. There has been no better year to throw out the rulebook and create a fantastical dessert that will make the last course the most memorable 

Christmas dessert doesn't have to include pudding.

Meringue wreath with raspberry and puffed up cranberries

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This is easy and super impressive - a wonderful centrepiece for your Christmas dessert table

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 20 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites, at room temperature

• 2 pinches of finely ground sea salt

• 340g of white caster sugar

• 2 tsp of cornflour, sieved

• 2 tsp of white malt vinegar

• For the puffed up cranberries:

• 200g of fresh cranberries

• 180g of sugar

• 120 ml of water

• ¼ tsp of ground sea salt

• ¼ level tsp of bread soda

• To decorate:

• 300ml of cream, stiffly whipped

• 200g of raspberries, mashed and passed through a sieve if you wish

Method

1. To make the puffed up cranberries place all of the ingredients into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow to bubble gently for fifteen minutes with a lid on top. Do not to stir the ingredients but shake the pot a few times.

2. Leave the lid on and allow to sit overnight. It is important not to remove the lid at all as the steam helps the cranberries to puff up. The next morning, they are ready to spoon over your wreath or to use in other festive baking.

3. To make the wreath preheat your oven to 130°C and line a flat baking tray with a sheet of parchment. Cut the sheet of parchment in two and slightly overlap the two pieces of paper on the baking tray.

4. Wipe your mixing bowl and the whisk attachment with some white malt vinegar. Put egg whites and salt into the clean mixing bowl. Whisk lightly until the colour begins to change then add half of the caster sugar and whisk until stiff.

5. Turn the speed on the mixer down and add the rest of the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Add cornflour and vinegar and beat them in.

6. Scoop the mixture a large spoon at a time onto the parchment, make a wreath shape and swirl the peeks.

7. Bake for 15 minutes at 130°C, then reduce the heat to 120°C. Cook for 1 and a half to 2 hours depending on your oven. Watch carefully so it does not get too brown (if you have a glass door) but do not open the oven.

8. When the meringue is done it should slide off the baking tray onto a plate. You can then pull the paper gently out from underneath on both sides, because it is cut in two it should pull away easier. Allow to cool completely.

9. Gently spoon the stiffly whipped cream onto the meringue just before you want to serve. Spoon the mashed raspberry over the cream and dot the cranberries onto the wreath.

Showstopping meringue layer cake with chocolate cream and fresh berries

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Pure indulgence, this meringue cake looks as fabulous as it tastes.

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 10 egg whites

• 3 pinches of finely ground sea salt

• 580g of caster sugar

• 3 tsp of cornflour, sieved

• 3 tsp of white malt vinegar

• To decorate:

• 800ml of cream

• 400g of dark chocolate, broken into small even size pieces

• 200g of milk chocolate, broken into small even size pieces

• puffed up cranberries 

• a handful of blackberries

• a few stalks of red currants

• a handful of cherries on the stalk

Method

1. To make the meringue layers preheat your oven to 130°C and line five flat baking trays with a sheet of parchment. Cut the sheet of parchment in two and slightly overlap the two pieces of paper on the baking tray. You may need to bake these in two batches if you do not have enough wire racks in your oven to bake them all at once. I often use the base of the oven when making this dessert, it is not something that I usually advocate, but the temperature is very low in this case so it does not create hot patches as it can do at higher temperatures. All ovens are different so yours may not allow for this.

2. Wipe your mixing bowl and the whisk attachment with a teaspoon of the white malt vinegar. Put the egg whites and salt into the clean mixing bowl. Whisk lightly until the colour begins to change then add half of the caster sugar and whisk until stiff.

3. Turn the speed on the mixer down and add the rest of the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Add cornflour and vinegar and beat them in.

4. Divide the mixture between the five sheets of parchment, flatten the mixture into a circle of about 8 inches in diameter.

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 130°C , then reduce the heat to 120°C . Cook for about an hour. Watch carefully through the oven door so it does not get too brown, try not to open the oven door, particularly for the first 45 minutes.

6. To make the filling whip the cream to stiff peaks and set aside. Melt all of the chocolate in a bowl, over a saucepan of boiling water. Remove from the heat and fold it into the whipped cream. Place into the fridge for at least an hour.

7. Spread a layer of the chocolate cream on the top of each layer of meringue, dot some puffed cranberries, blackberries and red currant into the cream. Place the layers gently on top of each other. Finish off with the cherries on the stalk and some more fruit.