If you have a sweet tooth or love everything savoury, the wonderful thing about Christmas is that you can have both — and plenty of each, we're leaning into the festival’s sweet side.
Chef Rakhee Vaswani got you covered with three classic recipes with a fun twist to get into the festive mood. Whether you are having guests over and want to blow their minds with your bake or you’re the type who likes to bring something to all the parties we’ve got a list of Christmas desserts to keep your house smelling great and stocked full of treats all season long.
Chocolate Banana Ginger Loaf
Ingredients
Flour- 70gms
Cocoa powder- 28gms
Baking soda- 1/2tsp
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- a pinch
Milk- 120ml
Apple Cider- 1tsp
Bananas- 112gm
Melted butter- 30gm
Oil- 15ml
Brown sugar- 75gm
Choco chips- 100gms
Dry ginger powder- 10 gm
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°)
Grease the loaf pan with oil & butter paper
In a bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, dry ginger powder & salt
In a jug stir the milk and vinegar. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 mins. The milk will slightly thicken and you will see small, curdled bits. Set this aside
In a medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth
Stir the melted butter, oil and vanilla extract into the mashed bananas, mix until combined. Add brown sugar, mix well, stir in the milk.
Add all the dry ingredients and mix well. Then add chocolate chips mix the batter and put it into greased & lined tin and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Strawberry Cheesecake Brownie
Ingredients
Brownie Base
Flour- 120gms
Baking powder - ¼ tsp
Butter - 94gms
Oil- 30ml
Castor sugar- 240gms
Cocoa powder- 56gms
Curd- 110gms
Dark chocolate -126gms
Milkmaid- 34gms
Milk- 4 to 5tbsp
Cream Cheese Mixture
Cream Cheese- 75gms
Castor Sugar- 40gms
Vanilla extract - a few drops
Custard powder/ Corn Flour- 1 ½ tsp
Strawberry Compote
Frozen/Fresh Strawberries- 200 gm
Sugar- 75 gm
Water- 50ml
Method
Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave and keep it aside
Add all the dry ingredients in a bowl flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, castor sugar
Next add oil, curd & milkmaid and mix well
Add the butter and dark chocolate mixture and mix well
Blend the cream cheese and sugar together, add cornflour/custard powder. Pour the mixture in a piping bag
In a saucepan add chopped strawberries, sugar and water.
Cook the mixture until it becomes thick.
Once it's cool down put it in a piping bag.
Assembly
Put the brownie batter in a brownie pan. Spread it evenly.
Then take the cream cheese mixture and pipe random lines in brownie batter. Don't pipe too deep. Pipe strawberry compote randomly.
Use the tip of the toothpick to swirl the batter.
Bake at 170 degrees in the oven for 30-35 mins.
Cinnabon Muffins
Ingredients
Flour- 225gm
Sugar- 15gm
Yeast - 15gm
Butter- 10gm
Salt- 10gm
Gluten- 2pinch
Improver- 1pinch
Water- 135gms
Cinnamon Sugar- 50gm (50gms sugar + 1tsp cinnamon Pd )
Method
Mix flour & gluten, bread improver.
Make a mixture of yeast, sugar & some water.
Add it to the flour mixture.
Form a soft dough by kneading it well.
Add salt & butter to the dough and knead it for two more minutes.
Round out the dough and cover it with a wet cloth for 20 mins
Grease the muffin pan with butter and keep it aside
Roll out the dough in a thin square. Spray with water and sprinkle cinnamon sugar.
Make a simple fold and roll it in rectangle.
Cut thin strips and make the twists with four strips as shown in class. Proof the dough in pan.
Milk wash and bake at 200 degrees for 12 mins. Remove and brush with butter/oil. Glaze with honey.