Prep 40min (+1.5hr chilling and 20min standing time)Bake 18-22min (per batch)Makes about 40

These delicious biscuits get their name from the pepper that, along with the ginger, gives them their "warming" flavour. I’ve made these as reindeer, but you can make them any shape you wish. Also, have fun experimenting with the icing decoration, giving them your own creative touch.

Ingredients

150g (5¼oz) unsalted butter, softened
150g (5¼oz/¾ cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons treacle
1 egg yolk, chilled
450g (3 cups/15¾oz) plain flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
60ml (¼ cup/2fl oz) milk

Icing
375g (3 cups/13¼oz) pure icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons (40-60ml/1⅓fl oz-2fl oz) water

Method

1. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until just pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup, treacle and egg yolk and beat to combine.
   
2. Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add half the flour to the butter mixture and beat on lowest possible speed until just combined. Mix in the milk and then the remaining flour until just combined and a soft dough forms.
   
3. Divide the dough into 4 portions. Shape each into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F (150°C/300°F fan-forced). Line 3 large oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
   
5. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface until 3mm/⅛in thick.
   
6. Use a cutter/s of your choice to cut out shapes from the rolled dough and use a palette knife to carefully transfer to a lined tray, leaving a little room between each. Repeat with the remaining dough portions, rerolling any leftover dough. Place the trays of biscuits in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
   
7. Bake two trays of biscuits in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through baking, or until they start to colour around the edges and are cooked through. Cool on the trays. Bake the remaining tray of biscuits as before.
   
8. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Gradually add 2 tablespoons (40ml/1⅓fl oz) of the water and mix until smooth. The icing should be a piping consistency (see Baker’s Tips). If it's too thick, stir in the remaining water ½ tsp at a time until the icing reaches the correct consistency. Divide the icing between two resealable plastic bags, seal and then cut a small hole in one of the corners of each to pipe through.
   
9. Use the icing to decorate the cooled biscuits as desired. Set aside for about 20 minutes or until the icing sets before serving or storing.

Prep 30min (+20min cooling time)Bake 15minMakes about 50

Often associated with Christmas in Germany, these bite-sized mouthfuls of gingerbread deliciousness actually originated in Scandinavia. The combination of a soft, highly spiced centre hidden beneath a crisp, sugar-powdered outer coat is pure, festive heaven.

Ingredients

125g (4½oz) unsalted butter, softened slightly
110g (½ cup, firmly packed/4oz) dark brown sugar
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 orange, zest finely grated
90g (¼ cup/3oz) honey
1 egg, at room temperature
40g (¼ cup/1½oz) finely chopped candied citrus rind / mixed peel
350g (2⅓ cups/12¼oz) plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon crushed aniseed
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
125g (1 cup/4½oz) pure icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/315°F (140°C/285°F fan-forced). Line two large oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
   
2. Use an electric mixer with a paddle beater to beat the butter, sugar and citrus zest until just creamy. Add the honey and beat until just combined. Add the egg and beat until evenly combine. Mix in the candied citrus rind / mixed peel.
   
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on lowest possible speed until just combined and a soft dough forms.
   
4. Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place 5cm/2in apart on the lined trays. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, swapping the trays halfway through baking, or until they start to crack and are just cooked through.
   
5. Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add about 6 warm biscuits to the icing sugar and toss to coat generously. Place on a wire rack to cool and repeat with the remaining biscuits.

Prep 25min (+ lemon curd making time)Bake 50minMakes 10-12 serves

This wonderful cake was created by one of our Make Me a Baker graduates, Lisa Frost, for her graduation ceremony. Mor-ish with a lovely 'wholesomeness', the secret to this wonderful cake is that  a layer of Lisa's  vegan lemon curd is baked into the cake giving it a fabulously tangy, moist centre.

Ingredients

1 quantity Vegan Lemon Curd, chilled
Double / thick cream, to serve
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios, to serve

Cake

Cooking oil spray, to grease
160g (1¼ cups) finely chopped pistachios kernels
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g (¾ cup) organic coconut sugar 
1½ tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
50g (¼ cup) apple puree
3 eggs, at room temperature
100g (⅔ cup) plain cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 22cm round springform tin then line base and sides with 2 layers of baking paper. Spray the side lining paper with oil, avoiding the base of the pan. Place ¼ cup of the pistachios in the pan and rotate pan on its side to coat the side with nuts.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and lemon rind until pale and creamy, scraping down the side of the bowl when necessary. Mix in the apple puree on low speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until well combined.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add ⅔ cup of the remaining pistachios and stir to combine. Use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined.
4. Spoon the cake mixture into tin, spreading evenly. Drop the tin on the bench to settle the mixture. Spread 1 cup of the chilled curd over batter, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios. Cover the surface of the remaining curd with plastic wrap and return to the fridge.
5. Bake for 40 minutes. Cover the surface of the cake lightly with a round of baking paper to prevent the nuts from burning and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (the top of the cake will still be slightly wobbly).
6. Allow the cake to stand in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing the side. Serve warm or at room temperature with the cream, remaining lemon curd and pistachios.

Makes 8 serves

The recipe for this lovely, tangy cake was given to me by the wonderful food writer and cooking teacher Elise Pascoe, and I have made it time and again since she passed it on to me. The original version was made with lemons; however, as our lime trees are such bountiful providers for so much of the year, I tend to make it with limes instead. It’s a gorgeous, simple cake: light, tangy and so eye-catching with its mantel of pistachios and pale-green hue. In season, translucent beads of pomegranate look extraordinarily beautiful scattered over the cake, giving it a mysterious, exotic quality.

Just a note about the pistachios for this cake – to grind them, I pulse them in the food processor with a tablespoon of flour from the recipe, as the flour helps prevent them becoming oily and forming a paste. Nonetheless, you do have to be watchful as they can go from being perfectly chopped to pasty in the blink of an eye. 

Ingredients

60g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 
100g pistachios, finely ground
finely grated zest of 3 large limes
120g almond meal 
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
4 (60g) eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup (80g) pomegranate seeds, to decorate, optional
softly whipped cream or thick Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
 
Pistachio and lime syrup topping
90g caster sugar
½ cup (125ml) fresh lime juice (from approximately 3 large limes), strained
90g pistachios, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C. Butter a 22–24cm round cake tin, line the base with buttered baking paper then dust the tin with flour. (I use a torte tin that I’ve had for years to make this – it has slightly sloping sides and measures 24cm across the top and 22cm across the base.)
2. Tip the flour, baking powder, ground pistachios, lime zest and almond meal into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk them together with a balloon whisk for a minute or so, then set the bowl aside.
3. Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand-held electric beater) and beat them on medium speed for about 4 minutes, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally, until the mixture looks creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be absorbed before adding the next. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled after adding the last egg – it will come together again when you add the dry ingredients.) Tip in the flour mixture and mix everything together on low speed just until it is combined – be careful not to over-mix it, or the cake may be a bit tough. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
4. Bake the cake for 45–50 minutes, or until it springs back when lightly pressed in the centre and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer it to a wire rack and leave it to cool a little in the tin.
5. When the cake is lukewarm, make the syrup. To do this, put the sugar and lime juice into a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chopped pistachios, increase the heat and bring the mixture to the boil.
6. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and peel away the paper. Slowly spoon the hot pistachio and lime syrup evenly over the top, then leave the cake to cool completely. Just before serving, scatter it with pomegranate seeds, if using. Serve with softly whipped cream or yoghurt. 

This recipe is from Belinda Jeffery's In Belinda's Kitchen.

You can read more about what Belinda is baking this winter here.

Prep 25minBake 30-35minMakes 8-10 serves

This traditional English pudding is quintessential nursery food – nurturing, soul-warming and economical. Feel free to replace the mixed berry jam with raspberry, plum or strawberry to ensure the sweet but subtle middle layer suits your tastes.

Ingredients

500ml (2 cups/17fl oz) milk
55g (¼ cup/2oz) caster sugar
30g (1 oz) salted butter, diced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
5 egg yolks (from 60g/2oz eggs), at room temperature
2½ teaspoons natural vanilla essence or extract
150g (2½ cups, lightly packed/5¼oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
85g (¼ cup/3oz) mixed berry jam (see Baker’s Tips)
1 tablespoon icing sugar, to dust

Meringue Topping
3 egg whites (form 60g/2oz eggs)
Large pinch of salt
110g (½ cup/4oz) caster sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract or essence

Method

1. Put the milk, sugar, butter and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Use a balloon whisk to whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly until well combined. Stir in the vanilla and breadcrumbs.
   
2. Pour the custard mixture into a shallow 1-litre (4-cup/1.75pt) ovenproof dish. Set aside for 15 minutes for the bread to soak up some of the custard.
   
3. Preheat oven to 170ºC/340°F (150ºC/300°F fan-forced).
   
4. Place the ovenproof dish into a roasting pan or larger ovenproof dish. Add enough boiling water to the roasting pan or larger ovenproof dish to reach halfway up the sides of the dish with the custard mixture to create a water bath or bain-marie.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the custard has almost set but still wobbles slightly when touched on the top. Remove from the oven and remove the custard dish to a wire rack. Set aside for 20 minutes or until cooled slightly (stop here if pre-preparing your pudding, see Baker's Tips). 
   Increase the oven temperature to 190ºC/375°F (170ºC/340°F fan-forced).
   
6. To make the Meringue Topping, use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With the motor running, gradually add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is thick and glossy. Whisk in the vanilla.
   
7. Carefully spread the jam over the top of the custard (see Baker's Tips). Spread the Meringue Topping over the jam to cover, swirling as desired.
   
8. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the meringue is lightly golden (see Baker’s Tips). Serve immediately.

Prep 15minBake 25minMakes about 30

Prep 25min (+overnight standing time)Bake 55minMakes 6-8 serves

Quinoa porridge is currently the darling of the café menu. This one is a no-fuss baked version teamed with tangy rhubarb and a vanilla and honey-spiked labna, so you can enjoy this beauty without even leaving home.

Ingredients

300g (1½ cups) white quinoa
500ml (2 cups) boiling water
55g (¼ cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
375ml (1½ cups) milk
Toasted pistachio kernels, chopped, to serve

Vanilla-honey labna
1½ vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
390g (1½ cup) greek-style natural yoghurt
¼ cup honey

Roasted rhubarb
550g trimmed rhubarb (about 2 bunches), cut into 6cm lengths
110g (½ cup) raw sugar

Method

1. To make the Vanilla labna, place the vanilla seeds (reserve the bean for the rhubarb), yoghurt and honey in a bowl and stir to combine evenly. Line a sieve with two layers of muslin cloth or a linen tea towel and place over a bowl. Spoon the yoghurt into the sieve, fold any overhanging cloth over to enclose the yoghurt. Refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours) to drain.
2. Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan-forced). To make the Oven-baked quinoa, combine the quinoa, boiling water, brown sugar and cinnamon in a 1.5 litre capacity (6 cup) ovenproof dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, to make the Roasted rhubarb, rinse the rhubarb and shake off any excess water. Place in a bowl with the sugar and reserved vanilla bean and toss to combine. Transfer to an ovenproof dish just large enough to hold the rhubarb in a single layer and cover with foil.
4. After the quinoa has been baking for 30 minutes, stir in the milk, cover and return to the oven with the rhubarb. Bake for another 20 minutes, stirring the quinoa 2-3 more times during baking.
5. Remove the foil from the rhubarb and bake both for a further 5 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and porridge-like and the rhubarb is still holding its shape but tender when tested with a skewer.
6. Immediately spoon the quinoa porridge into bowls, top with the rhubarb and pan juices, and a spoonful of labna. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve immediately.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Autumn Brunch

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Prep 30min (+35min pastry making time)Bake 1hr 15minMakes 8-10 serves

Classic apple pie (served with a overly-generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream, of course) is one of the perennial delights of winter and can only be improved by the addition of rhubarb and a deliciously rich vanilla sour cream pastry. This pie just may be a little hard to beat.

Ingredients

Apple and rhubarb filling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2. To make the apple and rhubarb filling, use your fingertips to rub the cinnamon, vanilla bean paste and orange rind through the sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the flour. Peel, core and cut the apples into thin (about 3 mm) slices and place in a separate large bowl, along with the rhubarb and the sugar mixture. Use your hands to toss gently to combine evenly.
3. Spoon the apple and rhubarb filling into an ungreased 23cm diameter (top measurement) ceramic or metal pie dish (see Baker’s Tips) and then dot with the diced butter. Brush the edge of the pie dish with the whisked egg.
4. Roll out the vanilla sour cream pastry to make a pie lid about 5 mm thick. Use a 2cm round cutter to cut out a circle form the centre of the pastry. Carefully drape the pastry loosely around the rolling pin and place on top of the pie. Use your thumb and index finger to press the pie pastry top onto the rim of the pie dish to seal. Use a small sharp knife to trim the excess pastry from around the edge. Brush the top of the pie with some of the remaining whisked egg and then sprinkle with demerara sugar.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (140°C fan-forced) and bake for a further 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and cooked through and the apples are tender (see Baker’s Tips). Remove the pie from the oven and stand for 5 minutes before serving warm with cream, ice cream or custard.

Prep 20minBake 35-40 minMakes 8 serves

Rhubarb and pear make wonderful partners and when teamed with a coconut and macadamia nut crumble topping in this dessert it brings sunshine to the table. The coconut sugar lends a lovely rich caramel flavour but can be replaced by brown sugar if you wish.

Ingredients

1 bunch rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths (you should have about 500g trimmed and chopped rhubarb)
750g (about 4) firm ripe pears (such as Josephine, Williams or Packhams)
2 tablespoons coconut or brown sugar
Coconut or Greek-style yoghurt, to serve

Crumble Topping
50g (½ cup) rolled oats
30g (½ cup) flaked coconut
55g (⅓ cup) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
50g coconut or brown sugar
2 tablespoons LSA (ground linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds)
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
60ml (¼ cup ) sunflower or light olive oil
½ teaspoons natural vanilla essence or extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160°C fan-forced).
2. To make the Crumble Topping, place oats, flaked coconut, macadamias, sugar, LSA and cinnamon in a bowl, mix to combine. Combine the oil and vanilla, drizzle over the oat mixture and toss to combine evenly. Set aside.
3. Peel, quarter and core the pears and then cut each quarter lengthwise into three slices. Place the pear slices, rhubarb and sugar in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a 1.5 litre (6 cup) ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with the Crumble Topping.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the crumble is crisp and golden and the fruit is tender when tested with a skewer.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature with the coconut yoghurt.

Prep 25min (+2hr 30min cooling time)Bake 45-50minMakes 12-16 serves

I love this cake. Rich, decadent and completely addictive, it is one of the easiest cakes I have ever made but also one of the most impressive. The toasted hazelnuts give a wonderful 'toasty' undertone, but you can use ground toasted pecans, almonds or pistachios (or a combination of nuts) instead – just take your pick! 

Ingredients

Melted butter, to grease
200g (7oz) roasted and peeled hazelnuts
250g (9oz) good-quality dark chocolate (45-54% cocoa), chopped
185g (6½oz) unsalted butter, cubed
40g (1⅓oz/⅓ cup) cocoa powder, sifted
60ml (2fl oz/¼ cup) strong, freshly brewed coffee
6 eggs, at room temperature
275g (9¾oz/1¼ cups) caster sugar
Cocoa powder or icing sugar, to dust
Cream or ice cream, and fresh berries, to serve