{Christmas Baked Goods}

I know, the Christmas season is over now for another year. But Chocolate Cake and Sugar cookies are for life and not just for Christmas.

As the season (or any season/holiday for that matter) approaches I begin scouring my cookbooks, blogs and magazines for my 'To Bake' List. Christmas 2011 list included : Nigella Chocolate Biscuits (a fave of K's), Mince Pies, Gingerbread Men and Marble Cupcakes. This well-rounded list was topped off with Sugar Cookies (a seasonal must in this house. I have a TON of cookies cutters!!) and my new find for this year which was Spiced Chocolate Cake topped with Ganache. Both of these were well received by my Christmas Eve guests. In fact K loved the Cake so much he requested this as his Birthday Cake. A rare occurrence as his cake of choice is usually Lemon Drizzle.



Spiced Chocolate Cake

  I found this recipe while browsing through my stack of magazine recipes. I was looking for a Christmas Cake, which wasn't fruit based. Luckily I had kept this recipe from a Sainsburys Magazine from 2010. The recipe uses dark chocolate (I mixed mine up with a cheap own brand bar and some of the more expensive Lindt Chocolate) and then spiced with ginger, stem ginger, mixed spice and cinnamon. It also includes black treacle and golden syrup making a really glossy chocolate mixture. It filled the house with the most amazing smell. I really want to try baking this again with some orange zest in.

The other Christmas eve bake (which is being added to the Edwards Christmas Tradition list) was Sugar Cookies. I use the Hummingbird Bakery recipe from their original book. This recipe makes a ton of dough which equates into many cookies!! For the Icing I mixed up a little water/milk with some icing sugar until a nice thick consistency. Maxwell decorated a few for Santa, which he doused the cookies in icing and decoration's (lucky Santa!)  - Whereas I, as slightly against the clock, drizzled the incing over the cookies and sprinkled glitter and sugar stands over them. Creating a stack of shimmering cookies ready and awaiting our visitors. The small people definitely enjoyed these!


Sugar Cookies made by Mummy.



Sugar Cookies made by M.

I do love baking.

In case you didn't know.

Happy thoughts.

L