Juliet Sear's stress-free Christmas baking
From a wintery bobble hat cake to chocolate mini-roll reindeer, Juliet brings us 5 eye-catching, but deceptively simple, Christmas ideas for you to try at home.
Juliet Sear’s Chocolate Reindeer Rolls
Makes: 5
Ingredients
Melted chocolate (used for glue)5 giant chocolate buttons5 chocolate mini rolls10 candy eyes5 red smarties5 mini PretzelsMelted chocolate (used for glue)20 matchmakers sticksIcing sugar
Method
1. Start to make a face on the reindeer by sticking a giant chocolate button onto one side of the chocolate mini roll. Use melted chocolate with a toothpick or small pipping bag.
2. Then stick two candy eyes on top of the giant button. Followed by a red smartie for the nose.
3. Using a knife, evenly cut a pretzel into two halves.
4. To help avoid crumbling the chocolate, use a wide skewer and gently make holes either side of the face and push in the pretzel halves to make the antlers.
5. To make the reindeer legs, cut two matchmaker sticks in half equally. Use the skewer to make four holes at the base of the mini rolls. Push each matchmaker's stick into the holes.
6. Place the finished reindeers onto a plate or board then sieve some icing sugar on top of the reindeers to look like a sprinkling of snow.
Juliet Sear’s Sweet or Savoury Christmas Puff Pas-Trees
Makes: 8-9
Ingredients
For savoury pas-trees2 Puff pastry rolls1 Egg, beatenPesto150g Grated cheddar cheese
To decorate100g Butter, melted2 Cloves of garlic, crushed1tbsp Parsley, chopped80g Parmesan, gratedSlices of 1 cm thick cheese, cut into small star shapes (avoid crumbly cheese as it will break up)
For sweet pas-trees2 Puff pastry rolls1 Egg, beaten100g Nutella spread1 tbsp melted chocolate12 - 16 Giant chocolate starsCake baubles / baking decorationsSprinkling of edible glitter
Method
For savoury pas-trees
1. Roll out a puff pastry lengthways, onto a chopping board. Egg wash a border around the pastry.
2. Spread a layer of pesto on top of the pastry.
3. Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top of the pesto.
4. Egg wash a border around the second piece of puff pastry. Place it on top of the first piece of pastry and gently roll with a rolling pin.
5. Trim the edges of the puff pastry to make an even rectangle shape.
6. Using a ruler or grease paper as a guide, cut 8 or 9 even slices lengthways.
7. Egg wash a strip of puff pastry on both sides.
8. Fold each strip back and forth, starting wide at the base and then shorter at the top, to make a Christmas tree shape.
9. Thread a skewer through the middle of the puff pastry Christmas trees, allowing around 2cm of the stick to poke through on top of the puff pastry.
10. Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven 180c for 15 – 20 mins until golden brown.
11. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Gently cook without turning the garlic brown. Take off the heat and stir through the chopped parsley.
12. Brush the garlic butter over the hot, cooked puff pastry trees and sprinkle parmesan over the top.
13. Once cooled slightly, thread the cheese shaped star through the skewer, on top of the puff pastry Christmas tree.
For sweet pas-trees1. Follow the same process as above. Instead of adding the savoury filling, add the Nutella.
2. Once removed from the oven, allow to cool. Using melted chocolate, stick a giant chocolate star on top of the puff pastry tree. Decorate with cake baubles and any cake decorations. Sprinkle over the edible glitter.
Juliet Sear’s Cosy Bobble Hat Cake
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
For the red butter icing700g Icing sugar, sieved350g butter, softened2 tsp Vanilla essence2 - 3 tbsp Dark red gel food colouring, depending on brand
For the white butter icing300g Icing sugar, sieved150g butter, softened1tsp Vanilla essence
2 Victoria sponge cakes, shop bought
Method
1. Make two batches of butter icing. The first, red butter icing. Mix all the ingredients together with an electric whisk. It may look pink to begin with and you may need to leave the red icing overnight for the colour to fully develop.
2. In a separate bowl, mix all the white butter icing ingredients together.
3. To make the shape of the hat we use two Victoria sponges. Slice the top off one of the cakes to make a flat surface. Place a few large spoonfuls of red butter icing on top of the flat surface of the sponge, making sure it spills over the edges.
4. Place the second cake on top of the icing so you have a secure tower of two sponges.
5. Carefully cut the sides of the top cake to make a hat / bell shape. Smooth over a thin layer of red butter icing around the whole of the cake. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to set the icing.
6. With the scraps of the sponges, scrunch together to make a golf ball size ball. This will be the base of the bobble for the top of the hat. Place in the fridge to chill.
7. Divide the remaining red butter icing into two pipping bags. One with a smaller nozzle for the smaller knit and the other with a larger star nozzle for the big knit.
8. Place the white butter icing in a third pipping bag with a small round nozzle.
9. Before pipping begins, you’ll need to make 6 equal markings around the hat so the knitting looks even. Place a strip of grease proof paper around the base of the hat. The two ends should meet but not overlap. Remove the strip of paper and fold it in half. Then fold the paper into three equal parts.
10. Unravel the strip of paper to show 6 equal lines. Place this around the base of the hat and use this as a guide to make 6 lines from the base of the hat to the top.
11. You can now start pipping. Begin with the red small nozzle pipping bag. In the middle of each of the sections, pipe a criss cross stitching from the top to the bottom. Leave the edges of each section and leave an inch from the bottom.
12. Then use the red large star nozzle pipping bag. On each of the 6 edges, pipe large criss cross down each side.
13. Finally, with the white butter icing, pipe around the base of the hat to make the woven trim. Then for the ball on top of the hat, pipe short strokes all around it to make it look like fluffy strands.
14. Chill the finished cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to set the butter icing.
Juliet Sear’s Jingle Bells Ginger Cups
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
2 ginger bread loaves, shop bought60g icing sugar300ml double cream½ jar stem ginger20g mini gingerbread men biscuits
Method
1. Slice the ginger bread loaf into 1 cm thick slices. Use a cutter slightly smaller than your glass to cut discs from the slices.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and double cream. Pour in around 50ml of the syrup from the stem sugar. Whisk again to combine.
3. Roughly chop 3 pieces of stem ginger.
4. Now assemble the cups. Start by pushing down a disc of ginger bread loaf in the base of the glass. Followed by a couple of spoonfuls of cream. Add some chopped ginger on top of the cream.
5. Repeat this process until you fill the top of the glass, making sure the top layer is cream.
6. Roughly crumb a couple of gingerbread men and sprinkle on the top layer of cream.
7. Decorate with a mini gingerbread men biscuit.
Juliet Sear’s Santa Claus Dunkers
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
100g white chocolate, melted1 tsp vegetable oil1 packet Golden Oreos100g red candy melts, meltedHandful white mini marshmallowsTube of white icingHandful red smarties or red M&MsHandful dark chocolate chips
Method
1. In a microwave, melt the white chocolate in a bowl, then stir in the vegetable oil.
2. In a separate bowl, melt the red candy melts in the microwave and stir.
3. Dip the top third of the biscuit in the red candy melt. Then turn the biscuit upside down and dip the bottom third of the biscuit in the white chocolate.
4. Place on a lined tray to set.
5. While still wet, place the marshmallow on the side of the red dip for Santa’s hat. To make the hat look fur lined, pipe a squiggly line along the red edging with white icing.
6. Place the red smartie or M&M just above the white chocolate beard to make a nose.
7. Using a toothpick, place a little bit of white chocolate to stick the chocolate chips as Santa’s eyes.
8. Once the biscuits are fully set, display the Santa biscuits on a plate.