Festive Baking

Festivals are extraordinary times of the year and so we naturally associate them with eating out-of-the-ordinary foods. This may be the only time that you want to bake something really special, so try making one of these treats to enhance your celebratory feasting – your efforts are sure to be appreciated.

Ricciarelli

My favourite recipe for these 14th century Sienese Christmas sweetmeats is from 'Carluccio's Complete Italian Food' by Antonio and Priscilla Carluccio (1997). As the authors note, 'they can be bought ready-made, but the homemade version is much better.' Ricciarelli are gently flavoured with lemon zest, honey and vanilla – a pleasant change from spicy Christmas baking – and their sugar-dusted golden exterior and soft, delicate centres make them a memorable ...
Simnel Cake

An utterly delicious idea – to bake a round of almond paste in the middle of a light fruit cake so it becomes an almost fudge-like marzipan layer. To be completely traditional you can then top the cake with more almond paste and a decorative finish of your choosing. Simnel Cake seems originally to have been a treat for Mothering Sunday in the middle of Lent when there was a ...
Russian Easter Bread

This simple recipe for a light and golden orange-flavoured plaited loaf comes from a 1961 book by George and Cecilia Scurfield called ‘Home Baked: A Little Book of Bread Recipes’. Published in Britain, it was aimed at the novice bread baker and the authors have included a chapter called “Coffee Breads from Abroad.” Most European countries have recipes for traditional breads eaten on festive occasions – usually made from ordinary ...
Pascalinas

There are many recipes for buttery Greek Easter biscuits in which the dough is twisted or rolled into pretty shapes, then glazed with beaten egg and baked. They generally include almonds, vanilla, aniseed, sesame seed and spices and this simple, orange-flavoured version is based on one in Elizabeth Luard’s 'European Festival Food'. (Bantam Press, 1990) Pascalinas are as enjoyable to make as to eat and they are a very welcome ...
Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)

A traditional Swiss recipe, which is also made in Austria and Germany, this found its way to New Zealand in The ‘Peace’ Recipe Book†, by Elsie Harvey – but Elsie cut her biscuits into fingers rather than stars and called them Cinnamon Slices. The idea of rolling out and cutting a dough which is basically a meringue thickened with ground almonds is rather daunting. Trust me, it’s possible, if a ...
Stollen

European festive breads are not difficult to bake, look very good on the table and are less demanding on strained digestions than rich cakes. Stollen are made from a light and fruity bread dough folded around a roll of almond paste, and are said to represent the infant Jesus in his swaddling clothes. They are always made in pairs, one for home and one to give away. There are many ...
Myra’s Chocolate Log

Chocolate Log is a dessert cake the French call Bûche de Nöel, and is intended to represent the Yule Log traditionally burnt at Christmas. The word ‘yule’ is based on the Old Norse name of an ancient winter solstice festival celebrated in northern Europe, and eventually adopted by Christians as their own Christmas festival. In New Zealand, a chocolate sponge roll is a special occasion treat and Myra Lawrie has ...
Easter Biscuits

Crisp, lemony, sugary and golden, these currant biscuits are an English recipe that appears in a number of early New Zealand cookery books – one of the many festival foods that migrated to the Antipodes with British settlers. In the West Country their colour and shape and their rich ingredients celebrate the end of Lenten fasting and the coming of spring. They are simply made and they don’t look dramatic, ...