Creme Brulee And Chocolate Bundt Cake: Nicola Lamb’s Christmas Crowdpleasers – Recipes

Even though our to-do lists are longer and our homes busier than ever, there’s thing astir Christmas that gives america nan other chutzpah to bake. And not conscionable immoderate baking, but baking for a crowd. So, pinch this successful mind, present are 2 crowdpleasing recipes – a rich | hazelnut “Nutcracker” creme brulee and a resplendent cocoa fondant bundt barroom – pinch a fewer make-ahead and shortcut secrets to springiness you a caput start.

Chocolate fondant bundt barroom (pictured top)

Serve this rich, decadent dessert lukewarm from nan oven successful nan centre of nan table, piled pinch ice-cream (and possibly pouring cream, excessively – why not? It’s Christmas!). The batter tin beryllium made and kept successful nan fridge for up to 24 hours, past baked from chilled; adhd an other 10 minutes to nan cooking clip if you do so, though.

Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 8-10

250g butter, plus other for greasing
6 ample eggs
150g caster sugar
250g acheronian chocolate
50g beverage chocolate
50g malt syrup
100ml full milk
120g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
½ tsp good oversea salt
Ice-cream and/or pouring cream, to serve

Nutcracker hazelnut creme brulee

Nicola Lamb’s hazelnut nutcracker creme brulee. Photograph: Rita Platts/The Guardian. Food styling: Hanna Miller. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke.

This luxurious custard tin beryllium made up of time. If you person a blowtorch, by each means, decorativeness it disconnected for illustration a regular creme brulee, but I’ve devised a crunchy, nutty and sugary topping that tin beryllium made successful beforehand and radiated connected apical of nan group custards.

Prep 5 min
Cook 1 hr, positive cooling
Chill 3 hr+
Makes 6

90g full roast hazelnuts, aliases hazelnut butter
120ml full milk
360ml double cream
90g ray brownish sugar
3 ample eggs
A large pinch of salt

For nan topping
120g caster sugar
60g roast hazelnuts

Heat nan oven to 140C (120C fan)/275F/gas 1 and put six ramekins successful a heavy baking dish. If utilizing full hazelnuts, blend them pinch nan beverage (and a scatter of nan cream, if needed) until you person a soft paste; if utilizing hazelnut butter, simply whisk it into nan milk.

In a saucepan, harvester nan cream, milky hazelnut substance and brownish sweetener and power mildly until steaming and nan sweetener has dissolved.

Lightly whisk nan eggs successful a bowl, past slow move successful nan basking pick mixture, whisking continuously but mildly (you don’t want to incorporated immoderate air). Stir successful nan salt.

Strain nan custard into a jug, past disagreement it betwixt nan six ramekins. Fill nan baking crockery pinch basking h2o to travel halfway up nan sides of nan ramekins, past cook for 30-40 minutes, until nan custards are conscionable group pinch a flimsy wobble successful nan centre. Remove, time off to cool to room temperature, past chill for astatine slightest 3 hours (or overnight).

For nan hazelnut caramel topping, statement an oven tray pinch baking paper. Heat nan caster sweetener successful a mini cookware until it melts and turns into a aureate caramel, operation successful nan hazelnuts, past move connected to nan tray and time off to cool completely. Once group and hardened, blitz into a good crumb. Just earlier serving, sprinkle this generously complete nan chilled custards. Alternatively, for a classical brulee topping, sprinkle a thin, moreover furniture of caster sweetener complete each custard and torch aliases grill until melted and caramelised. Leave for a infinitesimal aliases 2 to harden into a glassy crust, past serve.

• Nicola Lamb is simply a pastry cook and writer of nan play Kitchen Projects newsletter and Sift, published by Ebury Press astatine £30. To bid a transcript for £27, spell to guardianbookshop.com