Whether you’re someone who excels at baking and gets enjoyment from it, or rather someone who bakes as and when you feel like it (even if you’re not very good!), Tesco at Clifton has Christmas recipes for everyone! Whether you’re entertaining a house full of guests, baking with your kids or simply fancy satisfying your sweet tooth, be sure to try out some new Christmas recipes this year.
Easy Recipes
Cherry and Cranberry Shortbread*
Ingredients
- 250g (8oz) unsalted butter
- 75g (3oz) icing sugar
- 250g (8oz) plain flour
- 40g (1 1/2oz) dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 40g (1 1/2oz) dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, zested
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
Method
-
Heat the oven to gas 3, 170°C, fan 150°C. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Sift the flour into the butter mixture and add the cherries, cranberries and lime zest. Mix with a large spoon until it all comes together as a soft dough.
- Spoon into a 22cm (8 1/2in) fluted tart tin with removable base and gently press into a flat, even layer with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
- Using a large knife, score into 10 wedges, prick numerous times with a fork, then bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden.
-
While the shortbread is still warm, cut it into 10 wedges, following the score marks. Dust with the caster sugar and leave to cool in the tin for approx. 30 minutes. When firm enough to remove, carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Snap along the scored lines to serve.
Adventurous Recipes
Christmas Tree Cake**
Ingredients
- 250g (8 3/4oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 250g (8 3/4oz) caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 250g (8 3/4oz) self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Green food colouring
- 550g (1lb 4oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 550g (1lb 4oz) caster sugar
- 9 medium eggs
- 550g (1lb 4oz) self raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 100ml (3fl oz) semi skimmed milk
- 6 medium egg whites
- 350g (12oz) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 skewers
- 3 Christmas tree shaped biscuits
- 3 cake pop sticks
- 75g (3oz) Tesco Everyday Value milk chocolate
- Green food colouring
- ½ tbsp Tesco green Sugar Sand
- 1 tbsp Tesco Silver Pearls Crispy
- 1 tbsp Tesco Sugar Snowflakes
Method
Heat the oven to gas 3, 170°C, fan 150°C. Grease and flour a 21cm x 11cm 9cm box loaf tin. Beat the butter and sugar together using a hand held whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time then sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold through with a large spoon until just combined. Stir through the vanilla and keep adding green food colouring until it becomes a deep green shade. Transfer to the oven to bake for 50 minutes, until it is golden. Test that it is ready by inserting a skewer – it should be clean when you pull it out.
Allow the cake to cool inside the tin for five minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, grease a 18cm x 18cm round tin, with a removable base. Double line non-stick baking parchment, allow an extra inch above the rim of the cake tin, to allow for the cake mixture to rise.
Turn the cake onto its side and cut the green sponge into a Christmas tree shape (imagine three pyramids sitting on each other but don’t cut too much away from the centre or the cake will collapse.) Secure from the top to the bottom with a long skewer. Place in the centre of the lined cake tin and secure with another skewer, piercing through the lining and taping the skewers into a cross shape so the tree does not move during filling or cooking.
To make the vanilla cake, beat the butter and sugar together, as above. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold through with a large spoon then stir through the vanilla and milk. Gently spoon the vanilla cake mix into the tin making sure to fill the holes under the tree branches. Filling a piping bag and squeezing the mixture slowly into the tin can help with this.
The cake mix will just cover the top of the tree. Transfer carefully to the oven and bake for an hour and 20-30 minutes, or until you can insert a skewer and it comes out clean. Keep an eye on the sponge. You will need to cover it with foil after about 30 minutes so it doesn’t brown too much. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the icing, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric hand whisk. Place the sugar, golden syrup and 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) of cold water. Bring to a rapid boil and using a sugar thermometer bring it to 115°C. Remove from the heat and slowly pour in a steady stream into the egg whites, whisking all the time. Whisk for a further five minutes until thick and shiny.
Spoon large dollops of the meringue icing over the cake and use the back of a spoon to create swirls and peaks. Save a little icing to cover the biscuits.
Turn the biscuits over, place a cake pop stick half way down the centre then spoon over 1/3 of the melted chocolate. Leave to set. Meanwhile, add a little green food colouring to the icing. Turn the cookies over and spread one with a little icing. Add more colouring to darken the icing and ice another cookie. Do this once more so you have three different shades of green. Decorate with the green Sugar Sand, Snowflakes and Silver Crispies. Insert the trees into the top of the cake at different heights and serve.
Recipes for Kids
Snowman Cupcakes***
Ingredients
- 250g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 250g (8oz) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 250g (8oz) self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 tsp white chocolate spread
- raspberry fudge sprinkles
- For the snowmen
- 100g (3 1/2oz) dark chocolate
- 12 pink marshmallows
- 24 white marshmallows
- 125g (4oz) butter, softened
- 250g (8oz) icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp candied peel
- 12 Matchmakers
Method
Heat the oven to gas 3, 150°C, fan 130°C. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases. Using a hand-held whisk, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then sift in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Fold through with a large spoon until just combined, then stir through the vanilla extract.
Divide half the mixture evenly between the paper cases, add a teaspoon of white chocolate spread to the centre of each, top with a ½ teaspoon of raspberry fudge sprinkles and cover with the remaining cupcake mixture. Transfer to the oven to bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden and the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool inside the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, make the snowmen. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then remove from the heat. Line a flat baking tray with nonstick baking paper. Insert a cocktail stick into the slimmer end of one of the pink marshmallows and gently coat in the melted chocolate. Place on the lined baking sheet and, using the cocktail stick, spread the chocolate dripping down the sides in a circular motion so it looks like a brimmed top hat. Repeat until you have coated all 12 marshmallows, then place in the fridge to set. Reserve the leftover melted chocolate.
In a a separate bowl, beat together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again until well combined. Using a small palette knife, spread the butter icing over each of the cooled cakes, saving a little to stick the marshmallows together.
Stick two white marshmallows together with a little icing. Break each Matchmaker into 4 pieces and insert one on either side of the bottom marshmallow to make the snowman’s arms. Cut a piece of candied peel into a triangle for the nose. Using a paintbrush or skewer, draw eyes, a mouth and buttons with the leftover chocolate. Repeat until you have 12 snowmen. Carefully top each cupcake with a snowman, pressing into the icing to hold him firm.
Insert a cocktail stick right through the heads of the snowmen and into the cakes, leaving a little of the stick protruding. You can use this to secure the hat. Carefully peel the hats off the baking paper and press into the cocktails sticks. Store in a cool place.
*Find the recipe for cherry and cranberry shortbread from Tesco here
**Find the recipe for the Christmas tree cake from Tesco here
***Find the recipe for the snowman cupcakes from Tesco here
