This festive season, Doves Farm are helping bring yuletide flavours to classic baking recipes. From cakes, traditional mince pies and Christmassy pizza, Doves Farm has added a modern seasonal twist to some foodie favourites, that are sure to go down a storm over the holiday season.
The five festive recipes include the below, and are all made using Doves Farm premium quality flours, milled from sustainably grown grain.
- Black Forest Mince Pies
- Chocolate Orange Cake
- Wholemeal Sticky Toffee Christmas Bundt Pudding
- Stollen Bites
- Wholemeal Christmas Tree Pizza
This festive season, get ready to bring some yuletide flavours to classic baking recipes. From cakes, traditional mince pies and Christmassy pizza, Doves Farm has added a modern seasonal twist to some of our foodie favourites that are sure to go down a storm over the Christmas holiday season.
The UK’s no.1 organic flour brand, Doves Farm, has created five recipes for the festivities, combining all of your favourite Christmas flavours and bakes made using premium quality flours, all milled from sustainably grown grain.
For a sophisticated twist on a classic try the Black Forest Mince Pies or the decadent Sticky Toffee Christmas Bundt Pudding. Or why not at whip up a trusted Christmas flavour combination with the irresistible Chocolate Orange Cake, or for the ultimate Christmas snack the Stollen Bites won’t hang around for long!
For savoury fans, why not try the stunning Christmas Tree Pizza, sure to be a crowd-pleaser for guests of all ages!
Black Forest Mince Pies
Makes 24 | Ingredients
Pastry
- 150g Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour
- 75g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa
- ⅛ tsp Doves Farm Bicarbonate of soda
- 50g butter
- 4 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp kirsch
- Butter, for tins
- Flour, for dusting
Filling
- 24 morello cherries
- 175g mincemeat
Topping
- 25g white chocolate, grated
- 50g butter
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 225g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp kirsch
Method
Pastry
Measure the flour, icing sugar, cocoa, and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl, stir and sift into another bowl.
Chop the butter into small cubes, add them to the bowl and using a fork or pastry blender mix everything together until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the milk and kirsch and stir until a dough comes together.
Preheat the oven and rub some butter around the inside of 2 x 12-hole tart tins.
Dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
Put the dough on the work surface, dust it with flour and roll out until 3mm/⅛ inch thick.
Press a 75mm/3” inch round cookie cutter into the dough and transfer the circles to the holes of the tart tin. Mend any smaller breakages in the pastry by pinching it together.
Gather left over pastry into a ball, roll it out again and cut more circles.
Filling
Cut each morello cherry into quarters and put them into the pastry cases.
Put a teaspoon of mincemeat on top of the cherries.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Topping
Coarsely grate the white chocolate and set aside.
Chop the butter into cubes and put them into a saucepan over a gentle heat.
Add the milk and vanilla extract.
Sift the cocoa into the saucepan, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved.
Continue stirring until it starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch.
Put a spoon of the topping over each tart.
Sprinkle some grated chocolate onto the top of each tart.
Allow to cool completely until storing in a tin or freezer.
Oven | 180°C, Fan 160°C, 350°F, Gas 4
Cooking Time | 18-20 minutes
Chocolate Orange Cake
Makes 1
Ingredients
Caramelised Oranges
- 2 oranges
- 200g sugar
- 5 tbsp water
Chocolate Orange Cake
- 50g cocoa
- 75ml boiling water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp orange rind from above
- 150g Doves Farm Organic Self Raising White Flour
- Oil for tin
Chocolate Drizzle Topping
- 75g plain chocolate
- 25ml cream
Method
Caramalised Orange
Peel some orange zest strips into a small bowl, and finely grate the remaining rind into another bowl.
Thinly slice the oranges and half the slices.
Put the sugar and water into a saucepan, over a medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the orange halves and boil gently until translucent and soft, about 15 minutes.
Carefully lift the orange slices out of the syrup onto a plate.
Put the orange zest into the syrup (reserve the grated rind for later) and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Remove the caramelised zest onto another plate.
Chocolate Orange Cake
Insert a cake liner in a 20cm/8″ deep, round cake tin and pre-heat the oven.
Lay the prepared orange slices in a circular pattern in the bottom of the tin.
Measure the cocoa into a bowl, add the boiling water and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
Put the sugar and eggs into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
Beat in the prepared cocoa followed by the olive oil and reserved grated rind.
Add the flour and stir to combine.
Tip the mixture onto the oranges and smooth the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.
Leave the tin for 20 minutes then carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack, remove the cake liner and leave to cool.
Chocolate Drizzle
Break the chocolate into small pieces.
Measure out the cream and bring just to the boil.
Add the chocolate, without any heat, stirring until smooth.
Using a spoon, icing bag or bottle, drizzle the chocolate over the cake.
Transfer the caramelised orange zest onto the cake and leave to set.
Oven temperature | 180°C, Fan 160°C, 350°F, Gas 4
Cooking Time | 45-50 minutes
Equipment | Zester, grater, Saucepan, mixing bowl and 20cm/8″ round deep cake tin
Wholemeal Sticky Toffee Christmas Bundt Pudding
Cook in a silicone bundt mould or traditional pudding basin. Prepare ingredients in advance of cooking in the microwave.
Ingredients
Sticky Toffee Pudding
- 125g Doves Farm Organic Self Raising Wholemeal Flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 175g dates, destoned
- ½ tsp Doves Farm Bicarbonate of Soda
- 125ml boiling water
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 75g raisins
- 75g mixed peel
- 50g dried cranberries
- 4 tbsp rum
- 100g butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 75g soft brown sugar
- Butter, for greasing
Sticky Toffee Sauce
- 25g butter
- 25g soft brown sugar
- 50ml cream
- Cream for serving
Method
Preparing the Pudding
Cut a circle of greaseproof or parchment paper the same diameter as the top of the silicone bundt mould and make 2 x 5cm/2” cuts to form a cross in the middle of the paper.
Measure the flour and mixed spice into a bowl, stir to combine and sieve into another bowl.
Chop the dates into the empty bowl, add the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water.
Add the black treacle, mash everything together and leave for 30 minutes.
Measure the raisins, mixed peel and cranberries into a third bowl, add the rum, stir and leave for 30 minutes.
Gently melt the butter then leave to cool.
Rub some butter generously around the inside of a bundt mould or large pudding basin.
Break the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and beat well.
Pour the melted butter into the bowl and beat again.
Add the date mixture to the bowl and stir to mix well.
Tip the flour blend into the bowl and mix to combine.
Lastly stir the fruits, add them to the bowl and stir again.
Tip the mixture into the bundt mould or pudding basin and smooth the top.
Place the greaseproof or parchment paper over the top and gently press it down onto the pudding.
Cover the pudding with clingfilm and cut a hole in the top for steam to escape.
Cook on high (800w) for 4 minutes, leave to stand for 4 minutes and cook for a further 4 minutes.
Allow the pudding to cool completely.
Remove the clingfilm and cover the basin tightly with kitchen foil and store for up to 3 days.
Sticky Toffee Sauce
Chop the butter into cubes and put them into a saucepan.
Add the sugar and cream.
Put the pan over a gentle heat and stir to make a smooth sauce.
Keep the sauce warm until serving.
Serving the Sticky Toffee Christmas Pudding
Remove the kitchen foil.
Cover the pudding loosely with cling film, which will allow steam to escape.
Put the pudding into the microwave and close the door.
Turn the microwave to full power (800w).
Cook for 4 minutes then leave to stand for 4 minutes.
Carefully remove the pudding from the microwave.
Remove the cling film.
Run a warm knife around the inside edge of the bowl.
Put a warm plate on top of the pudding basin, carefully invert the pudding and let it slide onto the plate.
Pour the sticky toffee sauce over the pudding and serve immediately with a jug of cream.
Stollen Bites
Makes 20
Ingredients
- 1 tsp orange, grated rind
- 25g sultanas
- 25g candied peel
- 1 tbsp currants
- 2 tbsp rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g Doves Farm Organic Strong White Flour
- 75g caster sugar
- 1 tsp Doves Farm Quick Yeast
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- ¼ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 100ml milk
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 100g marzipan
- 50g butter for brushing
- 25g icing sugar
- Flour for dusting
- Butter, for tray
Method
Finely grate the orange rind into a bowl.
Add the sultanas, candied peel, currants, rum and vanilla extract and mix together.
Measure the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Put the milk, oil and egg yolk into another bowl and mix together thoroughly.
Pour the milky mixture onto the flour, add the soaking fruits and stir until everything is combined in a dough.
Cover with a large upturned bowl and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Divide the marzipan into twenty pieces and roll each into a ball.
Rub some butter around the inside of a large baking tray or insert a baking liner.
Lightly dust the work top with flour.
Gather together the dough, put it on the floured surface and lightly dust it with flour.
Cut the dough into twenty pieces.
Take each piece of dough, flatten it with your fingers and put a marzipan ball in the middle.
Draw the dough around the marzipan and pinch to seal.
Place the dough balls on the baking tray with the seal at the bottom.
Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 60 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven 20 minutes before you are going to bake.
Bake for 9-12 minutes until very lightly golden.
Remove the stollen bites from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Gently melt the butter.
Transfer the stollen bites to a mixing bowl, sprinkle the melted butter over the top and stir gently until all the butter has been absorbed. Return the stollen bites to a wire rack to cool.
Measure the icing sugar into a clean mixing bowl.
Add the stollen bites and stir until they are covered in icing sugar.
Store the stollen bites in a tin.
Wholemeal Christmas Tree Pizza
Makes 2
Ingredients
- Wholemeal Pizza Dough
- 250g Doves Farm Organic Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour
- 1 tsp Doves Farm Quick Yeast
- 175ml tepid water
- ½tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
Christmas Tree Topping
- 150g pesto
- 100g mini red or yellow tomatoes
- 100g mini mozzarella
- 10 olives, stoned
- 100g red, yellow or green pepper
- 100g cheese, grated
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Oil for tin
Method
Wholemeal Pizza Dough
Put the flour and yeast into a large bowl and blend them together.
Pour in the water and stir until everything looks craggy and lumpy.
Sprinkle the salt over the top and mix to combine.
Add the oil and stir into a doughy mass.
Using your hands, gather the dough and knead it in the bowl for 100 presses.
Invert another bowl over the top and leave it in a warm place, for the dough to double in size, which will take about an hour. The dough can rest longer for a couple of hours if needed.
Wholemeal Christmas Tree Pizza
Rub some oil around the inside of two large baking trays or insert a baking liner.
Knead the dough in the bowl for another 100 presses.
Divide the dough in half and put half on each tray.
Cut a golf ball size piece of dough from each and set this aside.
Flatten the doughs into tall triangles.
Pinch the top of each triangle to form the top of the tree.
Working down either side of the dough’s, pinch the sides to create the branch tips.
Brush the pesto all over the dough trees.
Position a golf ball of dough at the bottom of each triangle, shaping them to form the tree trunks.
Slice the tomatoes, mozzarella and olives in half.
Cut the pepper into 1cm/⅜” cubes.
Grate the cheese.
Scatter the tomato, mozzarella, olives, pepper and cheese over the pizza.
Scatter the cheese and oregano over the top.
Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Remove the tea towel and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Serve warm.