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So this is Christmas…and what have I done?…Hang on, not yet. I will save that song for next week 😉 but certainly there is an air of Christmas all around, most of the houses on my street have decorated Christams trees in their windows, it’s suitably cold and my fridge is full to the point of bursting – so much so that I’m having to store some of my perishable food in an insulated cardboard box outside….According to some – I am not naming names – that’s eccentric, I would argue that it’s just pragmatic and a good way to solve a real problem.

In the spirit of Christmas, I have two more festive dessert recipes for you before I sign off for the rest of this year. First up, is this delicious yet deceptively easy to make vegan chocolate hazelnut tart. I adore the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts, always have and always will so this was a non-brainer. I’ve taken lots of step by step photos for you to make sure that you are clear on what needs doing.

If you have never made an elegant tart like this before, don’t worry, this recipe is perfect for you. The shortbread pastry comes together in a food processor, in seconds, and the filling simply requires some gentle stirring and that is it. Really! It is really that simple.

Because it’s Christmas, I’ve decided to fortify this tart with a healthy glug of hazelnut liqueur – I rarely drink any alcohol but I do love a touch of booze in a dessert now and again – but that’s certainly optional. If you are making it for someone who cannot have any, simply use some plant milk instead. Below, I will talk you through all of the key ingredients and show you – how to go about making this simple yet impressive looking dessert. I hope you’ll give it a go and if you do, that you will love it as much as us and all of my neighbours who tried it.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

HAZELNUTS: You want to use blanched (and roasted) hazelnuts for the crust, they are quite common in the UK at least. If you can only get skinned hazelnuts, spread them on a baking tray and roast in a 175° C / 350° F for 8-10 minutes – until most skins have split and the nuts are fragrant. Place them inside a kitchen towel and rub between your hands to loosen up the skins. Allow them to cool before grinding.

FLOUR: I used all purpose (plain) flour to make my pastry. If you want to make it gluten-free, use a good gluten-free flour mix that contains a mixture of flours and starches (that’s important) and add a touch of xanthan gum to bind the pastry together. When making gluten-free crust, I find that instead of rolling it out, it works better to crumble it inside the tart case and shape it with your hands.

XANTHAN GUM: This ingredient is only needed if making a gluten-free version of the pastry. Xanthan gum is a binder that’s a staple in gluten-free cooking and it helps to keep the pastry together. Another alternative would be to use psyllium husk powder (and possibly some extra water). I have not tested in this crust, but based on my experience with this ingredient in other recipes, I recommend using 1-2 tbsp.

CARDAMOM: I like to add a bit of cardamom to this crust, but you don’t have to if you are not a fan or have never had it.

SUGAR: I used a superfine sugar (known as caster sugar in the UK) to sweeten the crust just a little. You can use less or more if you like. And if you do not have caster sugar, icing sugar (known as confectioner’s sugar in the US) would be another good option. Use the same amount by weight.

VEGAN BUTTER: Vegan butter block (I like using Naturli and Violife, but of which are available in most UK supermarkets) replace traditionally used butter. You could also use coconut oil. I recommend using a refined coconut oil like this one as it does not contribute any coconut flavour.

DARK CHOCOLATE: I used 70% cocoa vegan dark chocolate for this tart. The brand I tend to use is Green & Blacks but any dark chocolate works (I also tried Dr Oetker 72% cocoa solids) as long as the percentage of cocoa is the same.

VEGAN CREAM: I vegan single cream by Oatly to make the ganache as it’s easily accessible in the UK, but I’ve made this ganache with full fat coconut milk in the past and it works just as well, it does however add a hint of coconut flavour, which not everyone may be keen on given that this isn’t a coconut themed dessert.

MAPLE SYRUP: I used maple syrup to sweeten the ganache but any liquid sweetener with a neutral flavour should work just as well – I would steer clear from date syrup as it has quite a strong flavour. Alternatively, create a simple sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in a small amount of liquid and use that instead.

HAZELNUT LIQUEUR: A touch of hazelnut liqueur (like Frangelico) is nice and makes this tart more festive, but if you cannot have alcohol simply use plant milk instead. I used Oatly Barista in the place of alcohol in my tests.

HAZELNUT BUTTER: Hazelnut butter gives the ganache Nutella-like flavour. I make my own by grinding roasted hazelnuts in a food processor, but shop-bought one works just as well. Make sure to stir it well before using in the recipe.

To make the shortbread crust, grind hazelnuts into fine meal in a food processor. Next, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and cubed vegan butter.

Pulse everything a few times, until the mixture resembes sand (pic on the left). Switch food processor back on and slowly trickle in fridge cold water while food processor is running. Add enough for the dough to stick together when clumped in your hand, but not any more than that. I added 45 ml (3 tbsp). The photo on the right shows what the mixture looks like after all of the water has been added – don’t rely on the looks though – squeeze a bit in your hand to be sure.

Empty the food processor onto your working surface and using your hands gently bring the dough together, do not knead it, simply press it all into a lump and then form into a disc. Refridgerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out rested pastry on a lightly floured surface. Wrap it gently around the rolling pin and transfer over the tart, unravel and line the tart with it, cut off excess and use it to patch up any holes (and make cookies from the rest). Bake and cool.

Melt chocolate and vegan cream together over a pot of simmering water. Once melted, stir gently until you get a homogenous mixture, next add in maple syrup, liqueuer and finally hazelnut butter. Stir gently to incorporate then fill the tart case with it, refridgerate until set.

This is my last recipe of 2022 and I am signing off with something very special. It’s my gran’s layered gingerbread recipe that my mum has kindly allowed me to veganise for my blog. My mum makes this cake for Christmas every year and everyone loves it. It’s one of many Christmas desserts my mum makes (this sweet tooth I complain about now and again runs in my family…) and it’s a non negotiable part of the Christmas menu in her opinion…

My attempts at veganising this cake have been pretty hilarious and a little frustrating, I won’t lie. My gran’s recipe book has some obscure units of measurements, which led me to make some mistakes initially. One thing I realised after my attempts at the custard buttercream have turned out a little below par was that when my mum says ‘tablespoons’ she actually means a specific tablespoon that was a part of my gran’s wedding crockery set and said tablespoon measures 20 ml (as opposed to 15 ml) so I kept on using too little flour for the amount of cream.

Finally, we worked it out at which point my mum seemed geniunely bewildered that I did not know that she meant ‘gran’s tablespoons’ although I am pretty sure she never stressed that point. Anyway, we had a good laugh and I gave her a gentle ribbing about how delightfully imprecise some aspects of gran’s recipe were.

In the end, we hit the jackpot and I am super chuffed as it’s one of my favourite Christmas cakes. The concept behind this cake is actually fairly similar to a tiramisu although the ratios of biscuit base to cream is different and so are the flavours. My mum’s cake has four layers, but I wanted it more regal and photogenic so ended up settling on five. Although it’s tempting, I don’t recommend stacking any more than five sheets as the total weight of the cake is too much and some of the buttercream may start to squeeze out.

The base of this dessert is gingerbread, but instead of cutting it into cookies, it’s shaped into large rectangular sheets. These sheets get moistened with a choice of soaking liquid – Amaretto, lemon water, chai tea – and stacked together in between layers of custard buttercream and some sour jam for contrast. The entire edifice (it feels like one when you are building it) then needs a good rest (72 hour is ideal) for the gingerbread layers to soften and for the flavours to develop and mingle.

Flavours aside, what is great about this cake is that you can split the work into stages and make some items as far as two weeks ahead of time. My mum tells me that she bakes the gingerbread bases two weeks before Christmas and does not prepare the cream until 6-5 days ahead and only assembles the whole thing 4 days before Christmas. It is a perfect cake for when you want to make something impressive, crowd-pleasing (who does not like gingerbread?) yet something that does not require any work on the day. I am a massive fan of this cake and I am so chuffed that I now have it in my fridge – it makes me feel a little less homesick this Christmas. I hope you’ll be tempted to make it and that you will enjoy it as much as my family does.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

GINGERBREAD SHEETS

VEGAN BUTTER: I used vegan butter block (Violife) in both gingerbread bases and buttercream. Another brand, which I actually prefer but it’s not available locally to me, is the Danish brand Naturli. Use any vegan butter you enjoy, but make sure to go for one that comes in a block, not the softened, spreadable variety that comes in a tub.

MUSCOVADO SUGAR: Muscovado sugar, which is much less refined than other sugars so it contains a lot of naturally present molasses, contributes a lot of flavour to these gingerbread sheets. It exists in dark and light variety, and while both will work, I recommend using dark muscovado sugar for maximum flavour. Muscovado sugar is quite a wet sugar so it tends to clump a lot when being store. If yours has any clumps, squash them between your fingertips before adding to the bowl with butter.

GROUND FLAX: If you are making these with regular flour, there is no need to add flax at all. If however, you want to make these gluten-free use a well-balanced GF flour mix (that contains some starches) and add some flax to keep these from crumbling.

PLANT MILK: I like using protein rich soy milk in baking but, any plant milk will do in this recipe.

BAKING SODA: Baking soda is what helps these gingerbread sheets rise a little and stops them from being too dense.

SPICES: I used the following combination of classic gingerbread spices to flavour these gingerbread sheets: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves. You can adjust the amounts and maybe swap out some spices to your liking. All spice, coriander and black pepper are often also used.

FLOUR: all purpose (also known as plain) flour is what I used to make these and this GF flour mix to make gluten-free version.

CRANBERRY LAYER

CRANBERRIES: I cooked down unsweetened fresh (frozen work well too) cranberries to create a tangy layer of filling, which provides a nice contrast with the sweet custard buttercream and gingerbread. You could also use a ready made jam or preserve if you prefer – my mum uses her homemade sour cherry jam, which works a treat. Plum jam also works well. If your jam isn’t very sour, be sure to decrease the amount of sugar added to the buttercream to ensure the dessert isn’t overly sweet.

CUSTARD BUTTERCREAM

VEGAN SINGLE CREAM: vegan cream provides the base for the custard component. I used Oatly single cream but my mum also made it for me once using full fat coconut milk and it was just as nice, albeit with an added flavour of coconut. I have not had the chance to test, but I am pretty sure that thick plant milk will also render good results (Oatly barista, for example) as my mum’s non-vegan recipe is simply based on full fat dairy milk.

FLOUR: all purpose (also known as plain) flour is one of the two flours I used to thicken the custard. In the absence of egg yolks – which my mum’s non-vegan recipe doesn’t use either btw – we are using what may seem like a fair bit of flour. You you want to keep this dessert gluten-free, use a good GF flour mix or increase the amount of starch by weight.

POTATO STARCH: potato starch is what my mum uses, in conjunction with plain flour, to firm up the custard base. I have also tried using cornflour (known as cornstarch in the US) and it work just as well. Use the same amount by weight.

SUGAR: I used caster sugar to sweeten the custard and although you could use any sugar you like, be aware of the fact that non white sugar will turn the colour of the buttercream darker. This buttercream is quite sweet, which you can adjust to your liking, but I personally like how it sweetness shines against lip puckering unsweetened cranberries.

VANILLA: a good glug of vanilla makes this custard buttercream really delicious so I recommend using as much as 1 tbsp for this amount of cream. Orange zest is also a nice addition, but I wanted to keep this already involved recipe as simple as I can.

VEGAN BUTTER: as we are making a type of buttercream for this cake, we will need vegan butter to stiffen the filling and give it a whipped texture. I used vegan butter block (Violife).

HOW TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM

Start off with making a simple custard in a pot, allow it to go cold. Whip softened vegan butter in a food processor until smooth and lump-free, use a spatula to help the process.

Once the butter is smooth, add cold custard to the food processor – tablespoon by tablespoon – incorporating well after each addition. By the end of this process, you should end up with a stable and fluffy custard buttercream.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE

First of all, make sure all the components are cold. Place a sheet of gingerbread on a surface (tray, plate) that will comfortably fit in your fridge. Brush each successive gingerbread – don’t brush in advance as this will make gingerbread fragile and easy to break – with 2 tbsp of soaking liquid of choice and allow that liquid to soak in before topping with a layer of custard buttercream (or cranberry jelly).

Even though this amount of dough can give you as many as 7 layers of gingebread base, do not be tempted to stack this cake too high – I would say that 5 layers is the upper limit – as otherwise the cake becomes too heavy, which means that the bottom layers get squashed and the filling starts to be pushed out instead of staying in between layers.

New year, new me! Who else is tired of this new year trope? As I am the kind of person that is on a constant cycle of self-improvement, I really don’t need an extra stick to beat myself with really… With this in mind, I don’t plan to delve into diet food this January, but bring you cosy, comforting and nourishing food that will make this dreary winter feel a little less oppressive.

Today’s recipe – my first of this year – is a fairly simple but delicious ramen-inspired soup. It’s by no means authentic – it’s a bit of a fusion and a bit of cheat but I find it delicious, nourishing and perfect for this time of the year so I thought I would share. My aim was to use up some butternut squash I had lying around in a new way and to make it as hands off as possible.

The bulk of this soup gets made in an oven so that ticks ‘hands-off’ part to a large degree. I char sweet pumpkin flesh and a bunch of aromatics in a hot oven and then blend them with some soy milk and a host of flavour enhancers until thick and creamy.

The toppings are also fairly simple. I tend to use shop-bought tofu that I either whack into the oven alongside the veg or pan-fry in a small amount of oil when I am feeling indulgent. If you would rather make your own tofu, you could also do that. For the photos I marinated well pressed tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin and sake for a few hours, then coated it in a thin layer of potato starch and pan-fried it. It’s delicious, but it requires some forward planning so I skip this entire process when I want to have a bowl of nourishing soup in front of me fast!

Anyway, this simple ramen-inspired pumpkin soup has been a big success in my house and I hope you will fall in love with it too. Happy January!

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

SOUP

GARLIC: If it seems like this recipe is over the top with garlic, don’t worry. The head of garlic gets roasted and beautifully caramelised in the oven and all the harshness is taken out of it. If you are still a bit unsure, use half of the roasted cloves and add more if needed. The raw garlic clove adds a bit of zing and freshness to this soup at the end, but I mellow it by steeping it in vinegar at the beginning so there is no harsh garlic taste here either, I promise.

RICE WINE VINEGAR: I used a small amount of rice wine vinegar (Mizkan is the brand I am currently using) to contrast the sweetness of the pumpkin beautifully. Add more if your palate craves it!

PUMPKIN: Sweet roasted pumpkin is what gives this simple soup body and creaminess without making it heavy. I used butternut squash (or butternut pumpkin as it’s known in many countries worldwise), but any sweet firm pumpkin will work just as well.

GINGER: I like a little ginger kick here but not too much so I’ve used only a small piece, use more if you prefer.

CHILLI: I used a medium heat red chilli that I roasted in the oven with all other vegetables to mellow it a little. If you are not keen on spicy heat, simply skip it and maybe add a small drizzle of chilli oil at the end if liked. Otherwise, use only half of this chilli (save the other half for another dish) or scrape the seeds out (that’s where most of the heat lies) and only use the flesh for a gentle kick.

SHALLOT: I charred halved banana shallot to deepen and mellow its flavour. You can use any shallots or even half a small onion if that’s what you have.

VEGETABLE OIL: Any neutral vegetable oil will work here like peanut oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil or rice bran oil.

SOY MILK: I used creamy soy milk (made out of just soy and water, no additives) to add creaminess to this simple soup. You can use any neutral flavour plant milk instead or water and a tablespoon or two of nut butter (peanut butter works well) or seed butter (hulled tahini).

UMAMI STOCK CUBE: As this is a bit of a cheat recipe and all the action happens in the oven, I added an umami stock cube to this soup to give it more of a depth of flavour. If you happen to have kombu (seaweed that is a traditional ramen ingredient) in your cupboard already, you may want to simmer a large piece of it in the water that you’ll be adding to this soup in step 9 for 20 minutes or so to infuse it with even more flavour. Once done, fish your kombu out and add seaweed infused water to dilute the soup, boost its nutritional profile and its flavour at the same time.

MISO PASTE: Pumpkin and miso are a match made in heaven and I am big fan of them both so adding a hefty amount of miso paste to this soup is no brainer. I opted for white miso paste, which is quite mellow, but more assertive red miso will work just as well – although you may want to decrease its amount to taste.

SOY SAUCE: A small amount of soy sauce is nice to add more flavour and adjust the seasoning. If you are gluten-free or making this dish for someone who is make sure to use gluten-free tamari instead. Or if neither of these are available, use a small amount of salt to finish this dish off.

MIRIN: A touch of mirin, sweet Japanese wine, complements the flavours of this soup really well. It reinforces sweetness of the pumpkin and contrasts with a touch of vinegar nicely. If you haven’t got any mirin in your cupboard, use a smaller amount (as it’s way sweeter) of maple syrup or even sugar.

TOPPINGS

NOODLES: Use any noodles you enjoy. As this soup is on the thicker side, I went for thicker ramen noodles rather than the wavy instant type that probably comes to mind when you hear ‘ramen’. I used pre-cooked ramen noodles by a company called Seven Moons. They take 2 minutes to cook and I really enjoy them. Depending on appetite, I suggest approximately 400-600 g / 14-21 oz of pre-cooked ramen noodles for 4 portions. If you are using dry ramen noodles, you want something like 250-300 g / 8.8-10.5 oz instead.

TOFU: When I make this or any other soup like that for myself at home, I often reach for shop-bought pre-marinated tofu to cut down on my workload and prep time and this is what I advise for this recipe. If you prefer to prepare your own tofu from scratch, however, that’s also an option. For these photos, I marinated well-pressed tofu in a simple marinade (2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp cooking sake) for a few hours, then coated it in potato starch and pan-fried in oil.

BROCCOLI: You can use any greens you enjoy. I opted for purple tenderstem broccoli as it’s grown in the UK at this time of the year and widely available in local supermarkets. Pak choi, choi sum, Chinese spinach, napa cabbage would all be just as appropriate.

CHILLI OIL: I love to top my ramen with chilli oil – it’s a fairly ubiquitous ramen condiment that any ramen or Asian food lover is bound to have in their cupboard or fridge. I make an all purpose (only chilli flakes and salt) chilli oil that I drizzle on everything all the time, but you can get a more exciting chilli oil in well stocked Asian grocers. Alongside chilli flakes, it tends to contain garlic, onion, star anise, fennel, peppercorns. If you don’t like spicy heat, use a drizzle of flavoursome toasted sesame oil instead.