3 alternative festive desserts to Christmas puddings

Christmas pudding isn’t for everyone, so if you want to put something different on the table after the big roast, here are some alternatives…

Lucy Brazier’s chestnut and chocolate cake

This is one of my family’s favourite chocolate ‘pudding’ cakes, and I make it at least once every Christmas (and not infrequently for birthdays and other celebrations too)” says River Cottage’s Lucy Brazier.

“It’s delectably tender, fudgy and chocolatey – and not too sweet or over-rich. You can serve it warm from the oven, with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, but it’s also good made a day or two ahead and served cold or at room temperature.”

Ingredients:
(Serves 10–12)

250g peeled cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed or tinned are fine)
250ml milk
250g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken up
250g unsalted butter, roughly cut up
4 medium eggs, separated
100g caster sugar

You will also need:
A 25cm springform cake tin

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3, and grease and line your 25cm springform cake tin.

2. Put the chestnuts and milk into a pan and heat until just boiling. Take off the heat and mash well with a potato masher – you are aiming for a creamy purée, with just a few crumbly bits of chestnut. Set aside.

3. Put the chocolate and butter into a second pan and place over a very low heat. Keeping a close eye, to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t get too hot, melt them gently together, stirring now and then. Allow to cool a little.

4. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until blended and creamy (they don’t need to reach a ‘moussey’ stage). Stir in the warm (not hot) chocolate mixture and then the chestnut purée, to create a well-blended batter.

5. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Take one spoonful of egg white and mix it into the batter to loosen it, then fold the rest in lightly, trying not to knock out too much air. Carefully transfer the mixture to the prepared tin. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the cake is just set but with a slight wobble still in the centre.

6. To serve warm, leave to cool a little then release the cake from the tin. Slice carefully – it will be very soft and moussey. Alternatively, leave the cake to go cold, when it will have set a bit firmer

Extract from Christmas at River Cottage by Lucy Brazier and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £25. Photography by Charlotte Bland.

Skye McAlpine’s Christmas pavlova

“The happy muddle of shades of festive red, from the cheery Santa-bright of the berries to the rich, deep scarlet of the sour cherries in syrup, as well as the pleasing resemblance of this dish to a holiday wreath, add a good dash of ‘Christmas’, in my book, to the whole affair,” says cookbook author Skye McAlpine.

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Hands-off time: 2 hours baking and cooling

Ingredients:
(Serves 6-8)

3 egg whites
⅓tsp cream of tartar
150g caster sugar
450ml double cream
250g amarena cherries
100g fresh redcurrants
40g pomegranate seeds

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 140˚C / 120˚C fan / Gas 1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Draw a wreath shape in pencil on the baking paper (I use a plate and a mug to create the outer and inner outline for this, respectively, but you can also do it by eye).

2. In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, then add the sugar, 1 spoonful at a time, whisking all the while, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Spoon the soft meringue on to the template to create a wreath shape, then use the back of your spoon to create a gentle hollow channel within the walls of the meringue, where the cream and fruit will sit later. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, then switch the oven off without opening its door and leave the meringue in there to cool completely for a further hour.

3. You can bake the meringue up to 4 days ahead of when you plan to serve it and keep it in an airtight container at room temperature.

4. To serve, gently lift the meringue ring off the baking tray, peeling away the baking paper, and place on a serving dish. Whip the cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form, taking care not to over-whip it. Spoon the cream into the channel you created over the meringue wreath and top with the fruit. Store in the fridge for up to 8 hours before serving.

Extract from The Christmas Companion by Skye McAlpine, published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £28. Photography by Skye McAlpine.

Rachel Morgan’s tiramisu

“We’ve made this a lot for parties,” notes Rachel Morgan, owner of Twelve Triangles bakery in Edinburgh. “I always think it’s a good example of how something fairly simple can be greater than the sum of its parts. If you want to go the extra mile I can absolutely vouch for making your own mascarpone, which really does take it to the next level.

“This makes enough for 4–6 people in a 20cm x 40cm deep dish, but the quantities are very easy to scale up.”

Ingredients:
(Serves 4-6)

350ml espresso
4tbsp panela sugar
200ml coffee liqueur
4 eggs
80g caster sugar
400g mascarpone (homemade if possible)
Salt
About 36 sponge fingers
Cocoa powder

Mascarpone (makes about 500g)
740g double cream
20g lemon juice

Method:

1. To make the mascarpone, put the cream into a saucepan that has a lid and heat it until it reaches 82–84°C, stirring occasionally so that it heats evenly. Once it has hit that temperature, take it off the heat, add the lemon juice and stir until it thickens

2. Once it has thickened up, put the lid on and let it sit for an hour. Then strain it through a muslin or clean j-cloth and leave it for about 5 hours.

3. Brew your espresso and mix in your panela and coffee liqueur, then set aside to cool in a shallow bowl.

4. Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks and caster sugar together until they are very pale, thick and creamy, then whisk in your mascarpone – make sure your mascarpone is at room temperature and has been properly beaten/softened or it will be lumpy when you add to the egg yolks. This is especially important if you have made your own mascarpone, since it will be much thicker set than the shop-bought stuff.

5. Whisk your egg whites with a pinch of salt to a stiff peak and fold through your egg yolk/sugar/mascarpone mix.

6. Dip the sponge fingers one by one into your now cooled coffee mix and lay them in an even layer on the bottom of your dish. Cover with a layer of the mascarpone/egg mix. Repeat with another layer, dipping the sponge fingers into the coffee, and covering with the remainder of the mascarpone/egg mix.

7. Finish with a heavy dusting of sieved cocoa powder and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving.

Extract from Kitchen Table: Simple Things Made Well by Emily Cuddeford and Rachel Morgan, published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £25. Photography by Laura Edwards.