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A wonderful recipe for Christmas!

Ingredients:
Makes 24, 5 inch cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended. In a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended. Add golden syrup, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.

Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. (Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.)

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough out to a scant 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. If the dough is too sticky to handle try chilling the dough then place one portion of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out then remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut out cookies with desired cutter - the ginger bread man is a favourite of course. Cut the shapes (in a puzzle-like way). Then, without moving the dough, put the parchment paper on a baking sheet in the freezer for about ten minutes. The shapes should be much easier to remove to put on a baking tray this way.

Space cookies 1 1/2 inch apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies). Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack. After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories (kcal): 134.2
Protein: 1.9g
Carbohydrates: 24.3g
Fat: 3.2g
Fiber: 0.5g
Sodium: 94.6mg
Cholesterol: 15.3mg

Adapted from Original Recipe

A visit to Vienna could not be complete without a visit to the Sacher Hotel to taste their world-renowned Sacher Torte. The following recipe is a great great copy of the original and honestly is a bit more moist which I prefer.

Ingredients:

Makes a 22cm diameter cake

For the sponge:

140g butter, softened
110g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
6 eggs
130g cooking chocolate (half milk chocolate, half dark chocolate)
110g granulated sugar
140g plain flour
200g apricot jam
butter and flour for the cake form
whipped cream to serve

For the frosting:

200g granulated sugar
125ml water
150g cooking chocolate (half milk chocolate, half dark chocolate)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Put baking paper on the bottom of the spring form, coat the margins with butter and sprinkle it with flour.

Stir butter, icing sugar and vanilla until creamy. Separate egg yolks and egg whites. Gradually stir in the egg yolks and beat them until you create a thick foam.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bain marie and stir it into the mixture. Beat the egg white and granulated sugar with a blender until stiff and shiny. Pile it onto the egg mixture, sieve the flour on top and carefully mix it underneath the mixture using a cooking spoon.

Pour the mixture in the tin, smoothen it and bake in the preheated oven for not more than one hour. Leave the oven door ajar for the first 10 to 15 minutes. The cake is done when it resists to slight pressure with your fingers.

Let the cake cool then after about 20 minutes turn the cake form upside down, take the baking paper off, and let it cool down completely to achieve a smooth surface.

When completely cool, half it horizontally with a knife. Coat the top of one half of the cake with the lightly warmed apricot jam, then put the halves together. Coat the cake's sides and top with the jam and let it dry a little.

For the icing, boil sugar and water for about 5 to 6 min, then let the mixture cool down. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and gradually stir in the sugar water solution until you get a thick liquid smooth icing. Pour the lip warm icing over the cake in one go and coat the cake with as few strokes as possible. Let the icing dry until solid.

Serve the cake with whipped cream. Don't store the cake in the fridge. It needs a room temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius.

Adapted from Original Recipe

Dulce de leche custard atop a moist banana sponge.

Ingredients:

Makes about 12-16 cupcakes

For the sponge:

80g unsalted butter, softened
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
240ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas

For the frosting:

500ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
5 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
30g plain flour
30g cornflour
100g dulce de leche
200ml double cream
Shaved/grated chocolate to decorate

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a muffin tin with muffin cases. Line a baking tray with cling film.

Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until the ingredients are well incorporated and have the texture of fine breadcrumbs.

In a jug, whisk together the milk, vanilla essence and eggs by hand. Pour three-quarters of this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well on a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are all incorporated. Increase the speed to medium, add the rest of the milk mixture and beat until the batter is smooth, then peel and mash the bananas and stir in.

Divide the batter between the muffin cases, filling each one by about two-thirds. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooking, start making the custard cream topping. Place the milk in a saucepan with the vanilla essence and bring to the boil. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour to make a paste, adding 1 tablespoon of the hot milk to loosen the mixture if it seems too thick.

When the milk has boiled, add 4-5 tablespoons to the paste and stir together, then pour this back into the pan with the remaining milk and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back up to the boil, whisking constantly, and continue to cook for a further minute to ensure the flour is cooked. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the caramel.

Pour the caramel custard into the prepared baking tray, cover the top with cling film and set aside to cool for 30-40 minutes. Once cooled, tip the custard into a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream to soft peaks, then fold the whipped cream into the caramel custard.

When the cupcakes are cold to the touch, pipe the caramel cream on top of each cake, or use a spoon to do this, if you prefer. Decorate with shaved or grated chocolate.

Original Recipe from "Cake Days by the Hummingbird Bakery"

Delicious and decadent!

Ingredients:

Makes about 12-16 cupcakes

For the sponge:

80g unsalted butter, softened
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
240ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
150g tinned Dulce de Leche

For the frosting:

500g icing sugar
160g unsalted butter, softened
50ml whole milk
100g dulce de leche, plus extra to decorate

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a muffin tin with muffin cases. Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until crumb-like in consistency.

Place the milk and vanilla essence in a jug with the eggs and whisk by hand until combined. Pour three-quarters of this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together on a slow speed, then increase the speed to medium and keep beating until smooth and thick. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the remaining milk mixture and the tinned caramel, and continue to mix until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter between the muffin cases, filling each by two-thirds. Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch. Leave to cool for a while in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool down fully while you make the frosting.

Using the electric whisk or freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the icing sugar with the butter on a low speed until combined and still powdery in texture. Slowly mix in the milk, and once it is incorporated, increase the speed to high and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the caramel and beat in well.

Spoon the frosting on to the cupcakes once they have cooled, smoothing it on with a palette knife and swirling the frosting. If you want to decorate the cakes, spoon some tinned dulce de leche into a piping bag with a small nozzle and pipe on to the cakes in whatever shape takes your fancy.