Anyone making a "impress your friends" cake for Christmas?

O

oli

Well-known member
Looking for what you have made in the past. My recipe file is sparse for Christmas recipes. All I have is a Yule log and Black Forest Cake.

 
I really like this Eggnog Cheesecake

I’m actually sad I can’t make this again this year as I’m not making a dessert for our big holiday gathering. A few years ago my niece requested an eggnog cheesecake and I’ve never looked back after making this. Do add the flavored whipped cream I’ve added below. You could make this more festive with some cranberries and sprigs of rosemary. Didn’t happen to snap a picture of that year.

Eggnog cheesecake with nutmeg whipped cream topping

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve of crackers)
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup eggnog
2 eggs
2 tablespoons rum
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Steps
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a food processor combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and eggnog; process until smooth. Blend in eggs, rum and nutmeg. Pour mixture into cooled crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 250 and bake for 45 minutes, or until center of cake is barely firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately loosen cake from rim. Let cake cool completely before removing the rim.

Notes
For decoration:
1 cup 40% or heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until stiff. Pipe swirls around the edge with a #7 open star tip.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24308/eggnog-cheesecake-iii/

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/swap-photos/B0C8A5B5-3574-4704-86DE-8555B57CF806.jpeg

 
This is a contender for this year

This is a contender for this year’s dessert: chocolate peppermint cake. Sweetpolita has never delivered a clunker, so I often bake her goods with no pretrial.

My thought is to ice like this, though I’d use icing instead of jelly beans. I’d top the cake with a snoopy on his dog house design I’d transfer from a cookie cutter I have and runneth the lights off to the sides of the cake from the dog house.

https://sweetapolita.myshopify.com/blogs/blog/winter-delight-peppermint-cake

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/swap-photos/F9DE7C07-1D32-416E-B483-C05F8EBCA908.jpeg

 
Gone to the land of snow for Christmas but this is for New Year's.

Haven't made it for years so it may be humbling, again, to learn that I just can't cut it anymore.

CELEBRATION CAKE

BON APPETIT - MAY 1979 8 to 10 servings

8 ounces shelled hazelnuts, toasted
8 ounces blanched almonds, toasted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
8 egg whites, room temperature
1/3 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Buttercream
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
8 egg yolks, room temperature
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Sifted powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350'F. Generously grease and flour 10x15-inch jelly roll pan. Combine 5 ounces hazelnuts and 5 ounces almonds in food processor fitted with steel knife and process until finely ground. Transfer to small mixing bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Add 3/4 cup sugar and all of flour to ground nuts and blend well. In large bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Gently fold nut mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, into whites, blending thoroughly. Carefully turn batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly to edges. Bake 45 minutes. Meringue should be firm, dry and lightly golden; if not, turn off heat and return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Using serrated knife, cut into four 10 x 3 3/4-inch rectangles. Cool completely in pan.

Generously oil marble slab or baking sheet. Combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon water in small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking without stirring until mixture begins to caramelize, tilting pan in all directions to avoid scorching. When completely caramelized and golden, stir in slivered almonds. Pour onto prepared slab or baking sheet and allow to cool completely. Break into pieces and pulverize in food processor or blender. Set this praline powder aside.

Finely chop remaining nuts in food processor. Set aside for garnish.

For Buttercream:

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in small saucepan and mix well. Cover pan, place over high heat arid bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling, covered, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove cover and place candy thermometer into saucepan. If necessary, use damp brush or paper towel to wipe sugar crystals from side of saucepan. Boil uncovered until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (240 F).

Using electric mixer on low speed, begin beating yolks in large bowl while syrup boils. Leave mixer running while removing syrup from heat. Increase mixer speed to medium or medium-high and slowly pour syrup directly into yolks, being careful not to pour syrup onto sides of bowl or onto beaters. When all syrup is added, increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until completely cooled. When cool, reduce mixer speed to medium and begin adding butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. When all butter is incorporated, increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until creamy and thoroughly blended.

Remove 1 cup buttercream to separate bowl. Add vanilla and blend well. Set aside. Remove additional 3/4 cup buttercream to another bowl. Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup praline powder and blend well. Set aside. Beat cooled chocolate into remaining buttercream and blend well.

Carefully remove meringue rectangles from jelly roll pan using long spatula. Place 2 meringue layers side by side on baking sheet. Top one layer with praline buttercream mixture, spreading evenly to edges. Cover top of second layer evenly with vanilla buttercream mixture. Place remaining 2 meringue layers side by side on another baking sheet. Spread one layer with 1 cup chocolate buttercream mixture. Leave remaining layer unfrosted. Place layers in refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes, or until fillings are slightly firm, but not hard.

To assemble:
With filling sides up, place praline layer on bottom, then chocolate layer, then vanilla layer. Set unfrosted meringue layer on top, smooth side up. Gently press down top of cake to seal layers. Frost sides of cake using remaining chocolate buttercream (do not frost top). Press reserved nuts gently into sides. Generously dust top with powdered sugar. Refrigerate. Transfer to platter and serve cool (filling should be firm but not hard). Cut with serrated knife.

If additional decoration is desired, increase buttercream recipe by one-third.

Any remaining praline powder can be stored in refrigerator indefinitely in tightly closed jar. Excellent over ice cream. q

 
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