All the Christmas Desserts! A big pavlova, salted butter shortbread, and a chocolate, hazelnut and coffee cake.
three recipes you might want to have on your table over the festive season
Hello friends,
I’m coming to you a day earlier than normal to give you a bit more time ahead of the Christmas festivities to plan and decide what you might want to bake. I’m intensely aware that there is an overwhelming amount of content, recipes and gift guides floating around this time of year telling you what to make, buy and eat. I’m also aware that I’m very much adding to the noise but I hope that whatever you choose to make (or not), however big or small, however elaborate or stripped back, that you simply have a delicious time gathering and enjoying moments with those you love.
I’m a ‘two dessert’ household on Christmas day because I’m nothing if not over prepared. I’m sharing three recipes with you in today’s newsletter, all of which can be prepared, or at least partly prepared, in advance. There’s some classic shortbread which makes for great snacking, or you can serve with clotted cream and orange curd for a very low effort dessert. It wouldn’t be Christmas in my house without a pavlova so I’ve got a big fat festive one to feed a crowd. And lastly, for paid subscribers, there’s a layered chocolate cake with caramelised hazelnuts and coffee mascarpone.
And if none of those tickle your fancy, there are over 60 dessert recipes in my most recent book I’ll Bring Dessert. If you’re based in the UK, you have until tomorrow to order a signed, gift wrapped copy from my website to arrive before Christmas.
This is my last newsletter of 2024 so I’ have to say a huge thank you to everyone who has subscribed this year!! I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these newsletters and connecting with even more of you. I can’t wait to share plenty more Sweet Things with you all next year!
Lots of love,
Benjamina x
FESTIVE PAVLOVA WITH ORANGE CURD
I make a pavlova pretty much every year. It’s a firm favourite in the family and I don’t change it much except for the toppings. There’s always silky spoonfuls of vanilla specked cream and this year I’ve added some orange curd and a mix of blackberries, figs, plums and physalis.
I typically go for tall and deep pavlovas that allow for silly amounts of cream and a more marshmallow like interior. In a last minute change of mind, I decided to go wide and shallow with this one and I have to say I love it much more than expected. You get more crisp edges and a slightly chewier middle and it’s an ideal size if you’re serving a particularly big crowd.
You can make the meringue up to two days in advance. Add the cream and fruits up to an hour before serving.
RECIPE
serves 12-16
For the meringue:
185g egg whites
320g caster sugar
1 tsp lemon juice, plus extra to clean the bowl
1 tbsp cornflour
Orange curd:
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
90g caster sugar
100ml fresh orange juice
20ml lemon juice
zest of 2 oranges
40g unsalted butter, softened
To assemble:
600ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
150g blackberries
2-3 plums
4 figs, halved
handful physalis
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 120c/100c fan and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Clean your bowl with some lemon juice or vinegar on a paper towel. This helps to ensure there’s no traces of grease that will stop your meringue whipping up.
Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk on medium speed until they get foamy and can hold soft peaks.
With the mixer still running, add in the sugar about 1-2 tablespoons at a time, leaving about 20-30 seconds between each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whip for 7-10 minutes until you have a thick and glossy meringue. Add in the cornflour and lemon juice and whisk briefly to combine.
Spoon the meringue into a big mound on the baking tray and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it out into a large circle, making the edges higher than the middle.
Bake for 65-75 minutes until the meringue is firm to the touch and the surface looks completely dry. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool inside for at least 3 hours or ideally overnight.
To make the orange curd, add the eggs, yolks, sugar, orange juice, lemon juice and orange zest to a heatproof bowl. Give it a whisk to combine.
Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk frequently. The curd will get foamy before it starts to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon - it should take about 10-15 minutes.
Once the curd has thickened to the consistency of thick cream, remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts. Pour the curd through a fine sieve and into a shallow bowl. Cover with cling film touching the surface and let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge.
To assemble the pavlova, add the cream and vanilla to a bowl. Whip it lightly until the cream just thickens with very soft peaks. Place the pavlova on the serving plate and spoon the cream onto the base of the meringue. Top with your selection of fruits and dollops of orange curd and serve.
SALTED BUTTER SHORTBREAD & CLOTTED CREAM
Shortbread is unlikely to be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a Christmas dessert. But hear me out. Once you’ve had that late afternoon nap and need something a little sweet to graze on with a cup of tea on the sofa, this would be my go to. It couldn’t be any simpler to make; just 3 ingredients and you’ve got crumbly slices of buttery shortbread to work your way through over week. Given that there’s not much going on, this is when I like to splash out a bit and use really good, fancy butter. It makes such a difference and tastes significantly better than any supermarket versions. You could add in some extras like orange zest, spices or dip them in chocolate but I really do think these are perfect with as little distraction as possible.
RECIPE
makes 8 wedges
200g plain flour
75g caster sugar
130g salted butter, cold and diced
clotted cream and/or orange curd, to serve (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan. Line an 8 inch loose bottomed cake tin with some baking paper.
Add the flour to a bowl and mix in the sugar.
Toss in the cold cubed butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until you have a fine breadcrumb like mixture. (Alternatively, you could pulse everything in a food processor)
Tip the mixture into the tin and press it down really firmly so it’s nice and compact. Use the back of a spoon to help you smooth it out evenly.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and dust generously with some caster sugar. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before slicing the shortbread into wedges whilst it’s still warm. Let it cool completely before serving with some clotted cream and orange curd.
CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT & COFFE MASCARPONE CAKE
