With the winter suddenly coming over hard and fast, people will start preparing for the holiday season by getting their trees up, putting up decorations throughout the house and playing Christmas songs all day every day. Everyone gets excited around Christmas time, as people start planning for the big day when everyone receives presents, or good tidings from friends and family. Of course one thing you will also have to think about is what sort of food you want to be eating over the holiday season.
As Christmas creeps ever nearer, the time will come that you have to start stocking up the fridge and the cupboards with a whole array of different sweets, treats, drinks and savoury snacks for the family to enjoy over the holiday season. For those with vegetarian and vegan friends, it is important that you provide a wide range of different nibbles so that everyone has a good time all round. Take a look at three recipes we’ve listed for Christmas cakes and Christmas themed desserts that are perfect for everyone to try.
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Chocolate Yule Log Cake
What you’ll Need: 1 basic chocolate cake baked in a loaf tin, you can use a regular chocolate cake or bake your own gluten free one, 130g vegan margarine, 210g icing sugar, 1tbsp cocoa and vanilla extract to taste. You will also need 1 tablespoon of icing sugar for dusting and decoration.
Preparations and Baking: Once you have baked your first chocolate cake, leave that to cool while you prepare the decorative icing. Beat together the margarine and sifted icing sugar with one tablespoon of cocoa, making sure the cocoa is also sifted to avoid lumps. Beat in your vanilla extract and then set the mixture to one side.
Once your cake is cool, using a sharp knife smooth off the corners and the edges to make a smoother log shape; you can also cut off smaller parts to make realistic looking ‘branches’ and ‘twigs’ which you can secure to the main log with icing. Cover the cake with the icing, then use a fork to decorate your log with bark lines and wooden knots. Finally, dust it off with icing sugar.
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Christmas Pudding
What you’ll Need: 120g plain flour, 120g wholemeal breadcrumbs, 120g glace cherries cut in half, 230g dark brown molasses sugar, 230g vegetable suet, 300g ground almonds, 350g Sultanas soaked in sherry, 125ml soya milk, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp grated nutmeg, ½ tsp ground ginger, 1.5 tsp mixed spice, 1tbsp black treacle and the grated zest and juice of one lemon.
Preparations and Baking: First lightly grease a 2 pint pudding basin. Then in a separate bowl add the rest of the ingredients and mix them well until the mixture is well formed and soft. Spoon it into the basin, then cover the mixture with two layers of greased foil and tie it down. Steam the pudding for around four hours and then leave it to cool. When you want to eat it, make sure to re-heat it by steaming for three hours, before you pour some nice brandy on it and set it alight for dinner!
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Christmas Rum Fruit Cake
What you’ll Need: 85g plain white flour, 85g plain wholemeal flour, 85g mixed nuts roughly chopped, 115g chopped and dried apricots, 250g dates, 340g mixed dried fruit, 240ml water, 1tsp mixed spice, 2 tsp baking powder, 4 tbsp orange juice and 4 tbsp rum (or more if you prefer).
Preparations and Baking: Pre-heat your oven to 170C or Gas Mark 4, then place the dates and water into a saucepan and bring it to the boil, cooking for about five minutes until they are soft. Mash the dates and then add all of your other ingredients. Mix well, then spoon the mixture into a greased 900g cake tin and smooth the top down. Bake for about an hour and a half. After it is baked it is perfectly alright to eat, but you can always add the traditional marzipan and white icing top layers if you want to add an extra Christmas layer to your cake.
All the recipes listed here are perfectly suitable for both vegetarian and vegan friends and relatives, meaning there is something for everyone to enjoy. Christmas is a time for cheer and good will, where you bring the family together to celebrate good times, hold remembrance for those who are no longer with us and show our appreciation for what we have.
By creating delicious and inclusive meals and desserts, we help to keep the spirit of Christmas alive for many years to come. So why not try something new and get onto making these fantastic recipes for vegetarian and vegan friends and relatives this Christmas? Good luck!
Article provided by Mike James, an independent content writer working in the catering sector – combining on this piece with Wimbledon-based cake manufacturer and decorator Cakes by Robin, who were consulted over the information contained.
First Image by OrganicxBenefits
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