Cakes & bakes with JULIET SEAR

Hello and a very merry welcome to the December issue of Baking Heaven. As a self-confessed Christmas geek, I cannot tell you how excited I am! I hope you’re feeling in the Christmas spirit, but if not, what better way to get into it than by getting your Christmas bake on?

This year, Christmas is a little different to what we’re used to and perhaps we won’t be seeing as many people as we have in past times, so let’s hunker down and enjoy the process of baking and cake decorating in our homes. There’s nothing better than giving a freshly baked gift to our loved ones, friends and family – I find baking helps me to de-stress and relax and I think we all need a bit of that right now.

So first up, let’s chat fruitcake! The iced pine cone design is really simple to make as long as you give yourself plenty of time, and it’s so effective with the candied rosemary sprigs. I must admit I like to pour myself a little brandy when I ice my Christmas cake to get me in the festive mood.

I love to make my gingerbread latte cake all year round, minus the gingerbread trees – it’s a wonderfully soft sponge and the flavours marry