How to make mince pies, classic trifle, and other favourite Christmas desserts

Spoil your loved ones this Christmas with Michelle Darmody's festive and fabulous treats

Elements of some of these desserts can be prepared in advance and assembled on Christmas morning or on Christmas Eve.

It is that time of year again and preparation is under way for the big day. It is always a scramble, so the elements of some of these desserts can be prepared in advance and assembled on Christmas morning or on Christmas Eve. For the trifle you can have the sponge discs cut, pomegranate seeds taken from their cosy casing and the custard made.

The Yule log can be assembled a day before and stored in the fridge until an hour before serving. I usually wait until the last minute to add the ‘snow’ and ‘berry’ decorations. When I am making the mince pies, I assemble and fill the pastry in the bun tins and store these in the fridge. On Christmas Eve I then pop them straight into the preheated oven and have lovely warm pies as well as the wonderful fruity, spicy aroma throughout the house.

With the star cookies, you can cut little holes in them that correspond to the width of a ribbon you have to hand. These make really pretty decorations, but there is a delicateness to cookies, so rolling the dough a little thicker than usual is advisable.

It is also good to ensure they are not hung in a very humid place as the cookies will absorb the moisture from the air, soften and may wilt.

While any of these desserts will help brighten up your Christmas table, the orange bundt cake – our cover star! – can be especially festive. A popular European bake, you can decorate it with edible herbs and berries, or some baubles or wooden Christmas decorations. For drama, serve it with a few sparklers as you bring it to your guests.

Mince Pies

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

When I am making the mince pies, I assemble and fill the pastry in the bun tins and store these in the fridge. On Christmas Eve I then pop them straight into the preheated oven and have lovely warm pies

Servings

24

Preparation Time

 35 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 450g flour

• Pinch of salt

• 275g butter

• 110g caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• 550g mince

Method

1. Sieve flour and salt. Rub in butter, do not over mix. You want it to look like large breadcrumbs.

2. Dissolve the sugar in the eggs, mix it lightly and add to the flour with a fork. Bring it all together with your hands.

3. Wrap in baking parchment and rest the pastry overnight or for at least 3 hours.

4. To make the mince pies, preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas 4.

5. Butter and flour two cupcake tins and set aside.

6. Roll out your pastry to about 3 ml thickness and cut out 24 rounds using a 9cm cutter, then cut out stars from each circle.

7. Gently place the base circles into the tins. Do not wedge them in as they will gently fall in place by themselves.

8. Place two teaspoons of mince in the centre of each of the circles. Leave at least 3mm free of mince around the edge as it will spread when it is heated.

9. Place a star or circle on top of each pie. If you are using the circle you will need to pinch the edges, so it attaches to the base.

10. Bake for about 15 minutes. The pastry should be turning golden and the mince bubbling.

11. Once the pies are cool enough to handle, pop them out of the tin with the tip of a butter knife and leave to cool on a wire rack. You can sprinkle them with a little icing sugar if you wish.

 

Orange Bundt Cake

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

A popular European bake, you can decorate it with edible herbs and berries, or some baubles or wooden Christmas decorations.

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 35 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 115g soft butter

• 160g golden caster sugar

• Zest 3 oranges

• Zest 1 lemon

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 eggs, lightly whisked

• 160g self-raising flour

• 20g corn flour

• 60g crème fraiche

• 120ml orange juice

• For the icing

• 50g icing sugar

• ½ tbsp orange juice

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

2. It is important to grease and flour the bundt tin really well and get into every nook and cranny of it.

3. Whisk the butter, sugar and all of the zest until light and fluffy.

4. Stir the vanilla into the egg.

5. Sieve the flour and corn flourtogether and set aside.

6. Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.

7. Add the flour and combine it with the mixture.

8. Add the crème fraiche and orange juice until combined.

9. Scoop this into the bundt tin with a spatula.

10. Place in the centre of your oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

11. Allow the cake to cool for fifteen minutes and then gently ease it out of the tin. Invert it onto a wire rack.

12. To make the icing, whip the orange juice into the icing sugar a little at a time until it is smooth but not runny. It will harden soon after making so it is best not to make too far in advance of pouring it over the cooled cake.

 

Trifle with Lemon & Pomegranate

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This can be prepared in advance and assembled on Christmas morning or on Christmas Eve.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the custard

• 4 egg yolks

• 3 tbsp light muscovado sugar

• 4 tbsp sweet marsala

• For the trifle

• 200ml lemon curd

• 200g madeira sponge, cut into twelve discs to fit your serving dishes

• 6 tbsp Limoncello or Grand Mariner

• 100g pomegranate seeds

• 100ml cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Method

1. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and marsala in a heatproof bowl until creamy to make the custard layer.

2. Place the bowl over a pot of bubbling water on the hob.

3. Continue to whisk until it firms up and there is a trace left behind by the whisk.

4. Remove from the heat and whisk for another minute. Set aside to cool

5. Spoon half of the lemon curd between the six serving dishes.

6. Place a disc of sponge into each dish and press it down. Sprinkle the sponges with half of the liqueur.

7. Spoon half of the custard over each sponge disc and then sprinkle each one with pomegranate seeds.

8. Repeat the above steps so you have two layers of curd, sponge and custard. Add a layer of whipped cream and top with pomegranate seeds.

9. Decorate the top with curls of orange zest and other fruit of your choice.

10. The trifles are best served within an hour or two of assembling. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.

 

Chocolate Yule Log

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

I usually wait until the last minute to add the ‘snow’ and ‘berry’ decorations.

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 12 mins

Total Time

 42 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 5 eggs

• 120g caster sugar

• 125g self-raising flour

• To decorate

• 25g caster sugar

• 3 tbsp water

• 175g icing sugar

• 1 rounded tbsp cocoa powder

• 100g chocolate, broken into small pieces

• 220ml cream, whipped to stiff peaks

• 80g jam, I use raspberry

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4 and line a Swiss roll tin with parchment.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and very pale.

3. Sieve the flour into the bowl a third at a time.

4. Gently fold the flour mixture into the eggs and sugar and continue with the next two-thirds of the flour until it is all combined.

5. Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin.

6. Bake in the centre of your oven for 12 minutes, until the sponge has risen and springs back when gently pressed.

7. Allow the sponge to cool in the tin until it is cool enough to handle.

8. Sieve some caster sugar onto a clean dry tea towel and place it sugar side down onto the top of the sponge. Turn the sponge out onto the tea towel.

9. Cut four nicks in the long side of the sponge with a sharp knife. Roll the sponge up into a Swiss roll shape with the towel.

10. To make the icing, heat the caster sugar, water and cocoa powder until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the icing sugar. Set aside to firm up slightly.

11. When the sponge has cooled, unroll the tea towel and trim the edges to neaten it up.

12. Melt the chocolate and allow to cool slightly. Add a tablespoon of whipped cream to the melted chocolate and stir it in.

13. Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.

14. Spread the chocolate cream and jam onto the sponge leaving space all around the edge so it has room to spread when you roll it. Roll up your sponge.

15. Spread your icing onto the log and decorate before serving.

 

Christmas Stars

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

These make really pretty decorations, but there is a delicateness to cookies, so rolling the dough a little thicker than usual is advisable.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 155g plain flour, sieved

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp white sugar

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• 125g cold butter, cut into cubes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/gas mark 3.

2. Mix the flour and both of the sugars with the cinnamon.

3. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Bring the dough together to form a ball and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

4. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to about 5ml thickness. Cut out the 12 stars.

5. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes until they are turning golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.