Tag desserts

Christmas desserts for a crowd

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Christmas crowd is in awe of desserts. Transform the yule log into a magical Christmas dessert using festive spices, a brandy butter filling and chocolate truffle icing for extra indulgence.

Ingredients

For the sponge

5 eggs

125g light brown soft sugar

40g cocoa powder (make sure it’s pure cocoa)

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp ground ginger

white caster sugar, for sprinkling

For the brandy butter filling

100g soft butter

250g icing sugar, sifted

4 tbsp brandy

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting

100g dark chocolate

100ml double cream

25g butter

For the decoration

75g white chocolate

10 fresh bay leaves, or organic rose leaves

icing sugar, for dusting

edible gold lustre, food spray or powder

classic Yule log.

Method

1.     Line a 35 x 25cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until just holding peaks, then add half the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the peaks hold. Set aside. Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and fluffy in a clean bowl. Sift in the cocoa, spices and a pinch of salt and gently fold them through. Beat in a third of the egg whites, then gently fold through the rest until you have an airy mousse. Pour into the tin and spread evenly. Bake for 12-15 mins until springy.

2.     Sprinkle caster sugar over a large sheet of baking parchment. Turn the cake out onto the sugared parchment, then peel off the sheet you used to line the tin. Cover with a clean tea towel, then leave to cool completely. Trim the edges, then score along the inside edge of one of the short sides and roll it up from there, using the parchment to help. 

3.     To make the filling, beat the butter, icing sugar, brandy and vanilla together with an electric whisk for 10 mins until light and fluffy. Unroll the sponge, then turn it so that one long edge is facing you. Spread the buttercream over the sponge using a palette knife, keeping the end furthest from you clean. Using the parchment, roll the sponge up again into a roulade.

4.     For the frosting, tip the chocolate into a large bowl. Put the cream and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts and the cream reaches simmering point, then pour over the chocolate. Stir to create a smooth mixture, then leave to cool, stirring occasionally, until you can spread it over the sponge. Make bark lines using a fork, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

  • To decorate with chocolate leaves, melt the white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and paint the underside of the bay leaves with it. Put in the fridge to set for 30 mins, then gently peel away the bay leaves. Arrange over the log, then lightly dust with the icing sugar and lustre.

Recipes for sweet potato desserts

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sweet potato pudding

Sweet Potato Pudding

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the baking dish

2 1/2 pounds medium sweet potatoes (about 3), poked with a fork 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature 

2 large eggs 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup milk 

1 tablespoon self-rising cornmeal 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup pecan halves 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

On a foil-covered baking sheet, bake the sweet potatoes until soft, about 1 hour. Remove and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, place the flesh in a large mixing bowl, add the butter and mash until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sugar, milk, cornmeal, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Arrange the pecan halves on top of the pudding and top with the brown sugar. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla by small droplets over the brown sugar. Bake until the top is browned, about 45 minutes.

Sweet potato Halwa

Sweet potato halwa

ingredients

  • 2 medium to large sweet potatoes (shakarkandi)
  • 4 tablespoon sugar or as required, depends on the sweetness of the sweet potatoes
  • 7 to 8 tablespoon oil or ghee
  • 3 to 4 green cardamoms, crushed or powdered Or ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (choti elaichi powder)
  • 1 pinch saffron (kesar)
  • 10 to 12 cashews halved or chopped or kept whole (kaju)

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO HALWA

  • boil the sweet potatoes (shakarkandi) first.
  • when they become warm, peel and mash them.
  • heat oil or ghee in a kadai or pan.
  • first fry the cashews.
  • remove when they become golden and keep aside.
  • in the same oil, add the mashed sweet potatoes.
  • stir well and saute for 3-4 mins.
  • add sugar and saute for 4-5 mins.
  • now add crushed cardamom and stir
  • add saffron and stir.
  • keep on stirring and cooking the halwa till oil or ghee starts to leave the sides of halwa. this will take approx 10-12 minutes on a low to medium flame.
  • lastly add the fried cashew nuts and stir again.
  • serve sweet potato halwa hot, warm or cold.

NOTES

i have used oil in making the halwa, however you can use ghee too. 

SWEET POTATO PUDDING (SHAKARQAND KHEER)

sweet potato shakharkhand kheer

Indian Sweet Potato Pudding is a rich and fragrant dessert made with sweet potatoes, whole milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron, nuts and kewra water. Food for the soul!

  • 30 minutesCook Time:2 hoursTotal Time:2 hours 30 minutes

ingredients

  • 2 long sweet potatoes
  • 1.8 litres whole milk
  • 200 gms sugar
  • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
  • 10–12 skinless, slivered almonds
  • 5–8 slivered pistachios
  • 4–5 strands saffron (plus a few for garnishing)
  • 1 teaspoon kewra water

instructions

  1. Boil the sweet potatoes until they are soft just as you would potatoes. Remove the skins and mash them fine.
  2. Add the sweet potato mash to cold milk in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan and bring to a boil. Stir continuously as it gets heated to prevent the sweet potato from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (disaster!)
  3. Reduce heat and cook the milk till it reduces in quantity to about half. The measure of doneness is when the milk has thickened considerably and the colour has changed to a golden yellow (1.5 to 2 hours). Keep stirring the mixture every few minutes.
  4. Add the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron strands and cook for another 10 minutes.
  5. Turn off the heat and mix in the kewra water.
  6. Take out the kheer in a dish and garnish with slivered pistachios, almonds and more saffron if you wish. Serve cold.

notes

  1. If you want to make sure the kheer is smooth and lump-free, puree the boiled sweet potatoes in a blender along with some milk till you get a puree. Then, add this puree to the pan of milk.

Kewra water is an extract from pandanus flowers. A clear, fragrant liquid, it is very similar to rose water, and is used for flavouring desserts and biryanis in North Indian cuisine. It is readily available in Indian grocery stores.