gugelhupf

Ingredients: butter, eggs, milk, yeast, flour, raisins, kirsch, sugar, salt

This is the third in the xmas trio of cakes, Traditional fare which needs its own baking container, but is well worth the trouble, especially if the raisins are allowed to seep in kirsch overnight.

bakewell tart

Ingredients: almonds, apricots, peaches, eggs, almond essence, flour, butter, sugar, salt

This is a pretty traditional bakewell tart, with home made peach jam at the bottom and home made apricot jam on the top of the filling. There are almonds throughout the tart: the biscuit base, frangipane filling and apricot topping.

Shortcrumb base (pate brisee): Grind a 100 g packet of almond flakes to a fine powder and mix with sugar and flour to taste, then add a pinch of salt. Mix with 100 g of cold butter, cut into small cubes until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add an egg yolk and 1 tbsp of cold water and turn out into a bowl. Mix into a ball, wrap with clingfilm and refrigerate.

Apricot/Peach Jam: Slice 6-8 apricots/peaches in half and take out the pips. Add a cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of water and slowly bring to a boil. Cook at a rollling boil until jam is formed, about 15-20 mins. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon, both to stop the jam from burning, and to release the pectin. Put in a clean jar and use in cakes, on pancakes or on toast.

Frangipane filling: Grind 1/2 a packet of almond flakes to a fine powder. Mix 1 egg, 60 g of butter, 60 g of icing sugar in a bowl/mixer and add the ground almonds and a few drops of almond essence

Bake the base blind in a moderate hot oven until it stats to colour, then put down a generous layer of peach jam, followed by the frangipane.

Cook at 180 Celsius/360 Fahrenheit until the centre is dry.

When cooled, spread with a thin layer of apricot jam and scatter the remainder of the almond flakes, which had been lightly browned in a dry frying pan, followed by a sprinkling of icing sugar.

apple tart

Ingredients: apples, raisins, cognac, redcurrant jelly, quark, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, almonds, flour, butter, salt

This is an apple tart with filling based on paskha, a russian cheesecake, traditionally, eaten at easter. It is one of the great desserts i remember from my soviet childhood. The raisins have been soaked in cognac overnight, which doesn't hurt...