These festive and easy to make recipes make a great treat for your young or young-at-heart guests during the holiday season. They’ll surely help make the spell the sweetest one so far. All you need to do is get the ingredients, turn up some festive music and get baking.
Cake Pops
Ingredients:
12 portions
- 300g (10oz) chocolate cake
- About 2-3 tbsp chocolate buttercream
- 250-300g (8-10oz) dark candy buttons
- 2-3 types sprinkles, e.g., mini stars, hundreds and thousands or sugar strands
- 12 x 20cm (5-8in) lolly sticks
- Tall jar or glass
Method:
- Crumble the chocolate cake into a bowl or whizz it in a food processor.
- Add just enough buttercream so that it binds together, taking care not to add too much or the mixture will be too soft to handle.
- Shape the mixture into 12 balls and place on baking parchment on a board.
- Chill the balls for about an hour until they are firm.
- Melt the dark candy buttons and dip the end of a lollipop stick into it and then press the stick into one of the balls. Repeat with all the sticks/balls.
- Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to set.
- Dip the chocolate balls in the melted candy buttons and let the excess drip off, then dip tops into the sprinkles.
- Place the sticks in a tall jar or glass to keep them upright while the coating sets.
Gingerbread Cubes
Ingredients:
- 175g (6oz) butter, softened
- 175g (6oz) dark muscovado sugar
- 250g (80z) self-raising flour
- 100g (31/2oz) golden syrup
- 1 level teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 medium eggs
- Stem or crystallised ginger, to decorate
For the Icing:
- 350g (12oz) fondant icing sugar
- 18x28cm (7x11in) traybake tin, lined with baking parchment
Method:
1. Set the oven to Gas Mark 5 or 190C.
2. Tip the butter into a bowl and add the sugar, flour, syrup, ginger and eggs and beat the mixture until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the lined tin.
3. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until just firm to the touch of the centre.
4. Remove tin from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into cubes.
To make the icing: Mix the fondant icing sugar with enough water to give a soft consistency and spread it over the tops of the cubes. Decorate with ginger. Leave the icing to set before serving.
Recipes and images: Woman's Weekly/REX Shutterstock
