Tasty English Treats Pt. 1: Christmas Desserts

By Jasmine Cummings on November 27, 2016

My mother was born in the United Kingdom – specifically, Bristol, England. As such, a pretty big part of my family lives across the ocean … but that’s no reason not to visit!

I’ve been flying to England at least once a year since I was six months old, and that means I’ve spent a significant amount of time there; as my only living grandparents live so far away, we tend to visit over the winter holidays. This year, my parents are going without me while I stay behind to prepare to move after graduation, but I figure I can get into the spirit of an English Christmas by sharing a few of the holiday recipes I grew up on.

 1.      Christmas Cake

There are a bunch of unique desserts to be found around the winter holidays in England and Christmas cake has a number of variations depending on the ingredients the baker prefers. The recipe I’m referencing here is a more ‘traditional’ version. Be aware that some of these ingredients might be difficult to find here in the U.S., but a creative baker (aka, not my sad basic self) could find substitutes easily enough.

Christmas cake
bbc.co.uk

Method

1. Heat the oven to 300 F. Grease a 20cm/8inch round or an 18cm/7inch square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.

2. Sieve the flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl.

3. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the sugar, treacle, marmalade, and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

4. Mix the eggs a little at a time into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last amount.

5. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed and then mix in the dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries, and the almonds.

6. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the center.

7. Bake in the oven for 3 hours and then test with a skewer. If not ready bake for up to another hour testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. You may need to cover the top with a piece of foil if it begins to look too dark.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

Christmas Cake is normally baked weeks before it’s actually eaten. The cake is made incredibly moist and rich by skewering a few holes into the cake and pouring three or four tablespoons of brandy across the surface, allowing it to soak in. Repeat application as desired, depending on how much you like brandy.

The cake is traditionally decorated by coating it with warm apricot jam, which acts as a glue when covering it with marzipan, and then topped with royal icing — simply made by mixing eggs and icing sugar. For the final touch, get creative with decorative Christmas toppings or dried fruit.

Find the full recipe here.

2.      Mince Pies

The word ‘mincemeat’ doesn’t sound sweet, or even very delicious, but mincemeat is actually made of fruit. In all honestly, this isn’t my favorite English dessert, but Mince pies are a staple of British Christmas dinners, and some my mother has eaten all her life, and therefore deserves a place in this article.

The list of ingredients for mincemeat is a little intimidating, but it’s actually quite easy to make, though homemade mince takes quite a long time. Normally, mincemeat is bought in stores when making mince pies.

Mince pies
bbc.co.uk

Method
Prep: 10 min  ›  Ready in: 21 days

1. Make sure all of the dried fruits are finely chopped to around the same size. In a large bowl, mix all the fruit, apples, butter, zest and spices together till well combined. Dissolve the sugar in the brandy and pour it over the mixture. Cover and let stand overnight.

2. The next day, stir the mixture again then place in sterile, dry jars for 3 to 4 weeks before using in your favorite recipe.

And the pies themselves:

Method
Prep: 1hr  ›  Cook: 20 min

1. Lightly butter a 12-case patty tin. Tip the mincemeat into a bowl and stir so that the liquid is evenly distributed.

2. Place the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and process briefly until resembling breadcrumbs, then slowly add the egg through the feeder tube (or rub the butter into the dry ingredients by hand and stir in the egg).

3. Bring the mixture together with your hands, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour. Thinly roll out the pastry onto a floured surface. Cut out 12 circles with a fluted pastry cutter, large enough to fill the cases in the patty tin. Press gently into each case, then fill evenly with the mincemeat.

4. Cut out another 12 slightly smaller circles and use to cover the mincemeat. Press the edges together with the end of a fork to seal. Make a small slit in the top of each, then brush lightly with milk. Chill for about 30 minutes.

5. While chilling, preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the pies for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.

Add a little sweetness by shaking some icing sugar across the top of the pies.

Find the full recipes here and here.

3.      Christmas Pudding

This is, as far as I’m concerned, the most complicated recipe on this list. Christmas Pudding can be steamed or boiled, but either way it’s definitely more hands on and time intensive than the two baked desserts. Christmas Pudding is a little like fruit cake, but a lot more fun; you get to set it on fire at the end.

Hell yes, Christmas pudding.
freenewimages.com

Method

1. Measure the sultanas, raisins, apricots, and apple into a bowl with the orange juice. Add the measured brandy (rum or sherry), stir and leave to marinate for about one hour.

2. Put the measured butter, sugar, and grated orange rind into a large bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon or a hand-held whisk until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the measured flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

3. Sift together the flour and mixed spice, then fold into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs and the nuts. Add the soaked dried fruits with their soaking liquid and stir well.

4. Generously butter a 1.4 liter/2½ pint pudding basin. Cut a small disc of foil or baking parchment and press into the base of the basin.

5. Spoon into the prepared pudding basin and press the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover the pudding with a layer of baking parchment paper and foil, both pleated across the middle to allow for expansion. Tie securely with string and trim off excess paper and foil with scissors.

6. To steam, put the pudding in the top of a steamer filled with simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for eight hours, topping up the water as necessary.

7. To boil the pudding, put a metal jam jar lid, or metal pan lid, into the base of a large pan to act as a trivet. Place a long, doubled strip of foil in the pan, between the trivet and the pudding basin, ensuring the ends of the strip reach up and hang over the edges of the pan. This will help you to lift the heavy pudding basin out of the pan of hot water when it has finished cooking.

8. To serve, on Christmas Day, steam or boil the pudding for about two hours to reheat.

Before eating, heat up brandy in a small pan, pour it over the pudding, and set it on fire. When the flame has died out, serve with brandy butter made by mixing creamed butter, icing sugar, and brandy (or rum) together.

Find the full recipe here.

-

These are just a few of the traditional Christmas dishes I’ve tried over the years. But these are far from my favorite English foods — next time, I’ll share recipes for the foods I pig out on while visiting, because I miss them when they’re gone.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format