NADIYA HUSSAIN’S
MERINGUE WREATH
Serves 6-8 (previous page)For the meringue- 5 egg whites
- 275g caster sugar
For the topping- 600ml double cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 orange, zest grated and fruit segmented
- 100g cranberries, defrosted if frozen
- Mint leaves and edible gold leaf or lustre
dust, to decorate
1.Lightly grease a baking tray. Take a sheet
of baking paper large enough to fit the
tray and, using a 23cm round cake tin as
a template, mark a circle in pencil around
the outside of the tin.
2.Turn over the piece of baking paper, so the
pencil-marked side is underneath, and place
on the tray. You should still be able to see the
marked circle and can use that as a guide for
your meringue.
3.Preheat the oven to 100C (120C non-fan).
Add the egg whites to a large, clean mixing
bowl and start whisking. Once the mixture
becomes frothy, add 1 tbsp caster sugar,
whisking all the while. Once the sugar is
incorporated, add another spoonful. Keep doing
this until you have used up all the sugar and
the egg whites are glossy. Now keep whisking
until you have stiff peaks. You can test this by
lifting up the beaters. The mixture left behind
should stand up quite rigidly. If they drop,
keep beating until you get to stiff-peak stage.
4.Use two spoons to dollop the meringue in a
wreath shape using your marked pencil circle
as a guide. Place in the oven for 1 hour.
5.When the hour is up, turn off the oven,
leave the meringue in there and leave the
oven door slightly ajar so it cools down slowly.
Keep it in there for at least 3 hours.
6.When ready to serve, pour the cream into a
bowl with the icing sugar and orange zest and
whisk until just thickened.
7.Peel the paper from the meringue and place
on a serving dish. Dollop the cream onto the
wreath in mounds. Add the cranberries and
orange segments. Dust over a little more icing
sugar and place your mint leaves and gold leaf
sporadically. Now it’s ready to adorn your
table and, more importantly, ready to eat.RAHUL MANDAL’S
SPICED CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE ORANGE
AND GINGER CHARLOTTE
Serves 8-10 (right)For the cake- 2 large free-range eggs
- 125g caster sugar
- 125g self-raising flour
- 125g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tbsp stem ginger syrup
For the chocolate mousse- 2 sheets of platinum-grade leaf gelatine
- 200g double cream
- 200g dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 300ml whipping cream
- 2-3 knobs of stem ginger in syrup, chopped
For layering and decoration- 200g sponge fingers
- 200ml double cream
- 2 tbsp orange liqueur (optional)
- 1 orange, zested and segmented
- 25g caster sugar
- Dark chocolate, to grate
To make the cake
1.Preheat the oven to 160C (180C non-fan).
Grease and line a 20cm sandwich tin with
butter and baking paper.
2.In a mixing bowl, combine all the
ingredients for the cake and whisk using
an electric whisk for about 1 minute. Scrape
the sides of the bowl and whisk for another
30 seconds until the batter comes together.
3.Spoon the batter into the lined tin and
bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it rest in thetin for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to
cool completely.To make the mousse
1.Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for
5-10 minutes. Warm the double cream in a
saucepan until it is about to boil, then turn
off the heat. Squeeze the gelatine leaves and
add to the cream. Pour the cream over the
chopped chocolate and leave it for 5 minutes.
2.Whisk the chocolate, cream and gelatine
until smooth and homogenous. Set aside and
cool to room temperature. Stir from time to
time to prevent it setting.
3.In a separate bowl, combine the cardamom
with the whipping cream and then whip to
soft peaks.
4.Once the mousse is cool enough to touch,
fold in the whipping cream and chopped stem
ginger in two to three batches.To assemble the charlotte
1.Line the inside of a deep 20cm loose-
bottomed baking tin with butter and baking
paper. Align the sponge fingers all around the
edge of the tin with smooth sides facing inside.
2.Trim about 5mm from the sides of
the baked sponge and then cut it in half
horizontally. Place one layer in the bottom
of the tin. Make sure it fits really well inside
the sponge fingers.
3.Spoon half the chocolate mousse on top
and smooth using a palette knife. Place the
second half of the sponge on top.
4.Pour the rest of the mousse on top and
smooth. Put the charlotte in the fridge and
let it set overnight (minimum 4-6 hours).
5.Whip the double cream with the orange
liqueur, if using, orange zest and sugar. Spoon
into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
6.Once the charlotte is set, carefully take
it out of the tin and place on a cake stand.
7.Decorate with kisses of whipped cream,
DAN KENNEDY, JAY BROOKS grated chocolate and orange segments.
36 The Times Magazinet’s not all about Christmas pudding,
you know. Here a trinity of Bake Off
stars recommend favourite desserts
to see you through the festive
weeks, starting with Nadiya’s
meringue wreath, which is part