Weekend Baking Challenge: Showstopping Christmas desserts
Panettone pudding. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan
The secret to a successful Christmas dessert is making sure that it is indulgent enough to warrant the festivities while being light enough so that you need not lie down after eating it. Also, it is essential to make the desserts as foolproof as possible. Very few of us have the stamina at the end of a Christmas meal to be dressing plates and garnishing tartlets.
Choose a dessert that can sit in the middle of the table, acting as both centrepiece and showstopper. Allow everyone to help themselves, by providing large serving spoons along with it. if you want to be extra kind, provide bowls of berries, extra cream and roasted nuts, should guests be inclined to embellish.
Above all, choose a dessert that can be made ahead of time, and needs only a tiny bit of assembly in order for it to arrive to the table.
- Electric whisk
- Flat baking sheets
- Glass trifle dish
- 750g panettone
- 500g sweet chestnut purée
- 250g mascarpone
- 300ml double cream
- 175g milk chocolate
- 200ml Baileys
- 175g dark chocolate
- 100g blanched hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
- Cut the panettone into thick slices. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Mix the melted chocolate into the chestnut purée, add mascarpone and beat in well. Whisk the double cream and fold in alone with half the baileys. You can make this ahead and leave in the fridge to chill.
- Line a 2lb pudding bowl with cling wrap with enough overlapping to form a base on top.
- Press the slices of panettone into the mood and sprinkle over leftover 100mls of baileys into the sponge.
- Spoon the chestnut cream into the mould and place a large piece of the panettone on top to form a lid, closing over the overlapping clingfilm to seal it in. Place a sauce on top with a weight and place in the fridge over night to set.
- Unmold on to a nice plate with care. Decorate with melted chocolate, icing sugar, sweets, chocolates, whipped cream etc.
We always made this growing up, getting our panettone in a tin from the English Market in Cork City. This recipe was worked out and changed over the years but we eventually settled on this method as our favourite. We use a plain panettone but if you wish you can use the fruit variety. If baileys isn’t your thing then amaretto is the classic choice.
Serves 10
- 170g best quality dark chocolate
- 5 free-range eggs
- 170g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- Filling
- 300 ml double cream
- 1-2 tbsp rum
- icing sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
- Line a Swiss roll tin with oiled tinfoil or Bakewell paper.
- Separate the eggs. Put the yolks into a bowl, gradually add the caster sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and pale lemon coloured. Melt the chocolate with the water in a saucepan over a very gentle heat, then draw aside while you whisk the egg whites to a firm snow. Add the melted chocolate to the egg yolk mixture.
- Stir a little of the egg white into the mixture, cut and fold the remainder of the egg whites into the mixture and turn it into the prepared tin. Cook in a preheated oven, bake for 15-18 minutes or until firm to the touch around the edge but still slightly soft in the centre. Wring out a tea-towel in cold water. Take out the roulade, cool it slightly, then cover with the cloth. (This is to prevent any sugary crust forming.) Leave it in a cool place.
- Provided the cloth is kept damp, it will keep for two days like this.
- When you are ready to assemble, whip the cream and flavour with the rum. Put a sheet of greaseproof paper onto a table and dust it well with sieved icing sugar. Remove the damp cloth from the roulade and turn the tin upside down onto the prepared paper.
- Remove the tin and peel the tinfoil off the roulade carefully. Spread with the rum-flavoured cream and roll it up like a Swiss roll. Cut about one-third off the roll at an angle. Lift the roll onto a serving plate, arrange the smaller piece so it looks like a branch and dust well with icing sugar.
- Decorate with Christmas cake decorations, e.g. holly leaves, Santas, robins etc., sprinkle again with a little extra icing sugar and serve.
Sneak a little kirsch into the cream and dot the cake with tinned cherries before rolling to make a black-forest inspired yule log.
Serves 8-10
- 450g approx. homemade sponge cake or trifle sponges (trifle sponges are lighter so you will need less)
- 225g good quality raspberry jam
- 600ml custard made with:
- 5 eggs, organic and free-range
- 1 1/4 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 750ml milk
- 5-6 fl ozs (150-175ml) best quality sweet or medium sherry — don't spare the sherry and don't waste your time with cooking sherry
- 600ml whipped cream
- fresh raspberries and cranberries
Method
- Sandwich the rounds of sponge cake together with homemade raspberry jam. If you use trifle sponges, sandwich them in pairs.
- Next, make the egg custard.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract. Heat the milk to the 'shivery' stage and add it to the egg mixture whisking all the time. Put into a heavy saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the custard coats the back of the wooden spoon lightly. Don't let it boil or it will curdle.
- Cut the sponge into (2cm) slices and use these to line the bottom of a 3 pint (1.7 litre) glass bowl, sprinkling generously with sherry as you go along. Pour in some homemade egg custard and then add another layer of sponge. Sprinkle with the remainder of the sherry. Spread the rest of the custard over the top. Cover and leave for 5 or 6 hours, or preferably overnight in a cold larder or fridge to mature.
- Before serving, spread softly whipped cream over the top, and decorate with raspberries and cranberries.
For a posher version, line the glass bowl with slices of Swiss roll.
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 pinches of salt
- 310g caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 2 tsp white malt vinegar
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 140ml cream
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 50g butter
- Flaked almonds and chopped hazelnuts
Method
- Heat your oven to 130°C.
- Put egg whites and salt into a very clean mixing bowl. Whisk lightly until the colour begins to change.
- Add half the caster sugar and whisk until stiff.
- Turn the speed on the mixer down and add the rest of the sugar a tablespoon at a time.
- Add cornflour and beat, add vinegar and beat.
- Cut three squares of parchment for your three baking trays and cut each piece of paper in two. Lightly grease.
- Scoop mixture on to parchment and make an indentation in the centre and swirl the edges.
- Cook in a heated oven for 15 minutes at 130°C.
- Then reduce the heat to 120°C. Cook for one-and-a-half to two 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.
- 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.
- While the meringue is cooking, make the sauce.
- Put the caster sugar and water into a large heavy saucepan, stir and allow the sugar to melt. Turn up the heat and allow it to bubble until it turns golden. Stir in the cream, butter and salt.
- Fill between each layer of meringue with cream and drizzle with the caramel sauce. I also add a selection of toasted almonds and hazelnuts to add a bit of bite and their bitter note counteracts some of the sweetness.
Add some festive spirit to your caramel sauce. Rum, brandy or whiskey all work well. You can skip the salt and add some orange zest for a lighter take.
