Christmas Bakes of the World

The idea of eating our way around the world goes down very well with us here at Renshaw Baking so we’ve decided to put together a collection of recipes you can use this Christmas. If you’ve ever wanted to try something different alongside the traditional Christmas pud, now is your chance!

Stollen (Christstollen)

Now we couldn’t really write a Christmas baking blog without mentioning this little beauty. This traditional German Christmas fruit bread has become increasing popular over the years and has started making an appearance in most supermarkets around this time of year. The bread is usually made with candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices and can often be found with marzipan inside as well. If that doesn’t sound tempting enough, the bread is finished off with a coating of icing sugar to give it a lovely festive appearance. If you fancy making your own Stollen at home, check out our
cranberry filled version here.

Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)

If you aren’t a fan of fruit in your desserts this might be a winner for you. The Yule log or Bûche de Noël, is traditionally made with a Genoise sponge which is then iced and rolled using chocolate buttercream. This sumptuous dessert is typically enjoyed around Christmas time especially in Belgium, France, Lebanon and Quebec. Many variations of the Bûche de Noël exist which allows us bakers to tailor it to everybody’s tastes. Why not try using a chocolate sponge or bring the icing to life with a shot of espresso or liqueur such as dark rum. To give it its bark-like appearance, drag your fork through the icing and finish it off with some icing sugar to resemble snow. Perfect! Try out the recipe for our
marzipan centred variation here.

Panettone

[Photo: Italian Food Experience]

Back to fruit again now (didn’t take long, did it?) with this masterpiece from Italy. Originating from Milan in the early 20
^th century, they are now enjoyed all over the world in countries such as the UK, US, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Australia! They sport a dome-like shape and contain a delicious combination of candied orange, lemon zest and raisins. Traditionally served in slices with a sweet hot beverage, why not serve yours with a twist and add a dollop of thick brandy cream? Making your own panettone takes several days due to the proving process, but if you’re up to the challenge, grab the recipe here.

Melomakarona

[Photo: Cook Diary]

These scrumptious Greek honey cookies are super quick to bake and even easier to eat! They are also guaranteed to make your home smell like Christmas with orange, cloves and cinnamon used in abundance. After baking, these delicious little morsels are soaked in honey and sprinkled with chopped walnuts. Don’t worry about making too many either as they make good keepers and will last for months in an airtight container. If you fancy giving these Greek goodies a try,
get the recipe here.

For more baking inspiration check out our other baking blogs and sign up for our newsletter. We are also giving out some fantastic prizes in our 12 days of Christmas competitions. To have a chance of winning,
take part here.