RECIPES A couple of delicious puddings to sweeten up your winter.

In the KITCHEN

A lovely warming pudding that’s great served with cream or custard, or enjoyed in front of the fire with big mug of tea...

CHAI SPICED APPLE CAKE

Preparation Time: 30 minutes. Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Serves: 10. 175g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing • 7 cardamom pods, cracked open 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon • 1 ½ tsp ground ginger • ½ tsp fine salt • 2 eating apples, peeled and cored 150g light brown soft sugar • 3 medium eggs • 150g self-raising flour • 100g ground almonds ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste • 1 tsp whole milk • 2½ tbsp icing sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 160°C, gas mark 3; grease a 900g loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Shake the seeds out of the cardamom pods into a pestle and mortar. Grind to a powder, then mix with the cinnamon, ginger and salt; set aside. Finely slice 1⁄2 an apple, then dice the rest into 1cm cubes; set aside. Using electric beaters, cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. One at a time, beat in the eggs, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Use a spatula to stir in the flour, almonds and spice mix until evenly combined. Stir the diced apple into the mixture, then spoon into the tin. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon, then scatter over the sliced apple. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. For the drizzle, mix the vanilla bean paste and milk into the icing sugar to make a thick, smooth paste. Drizzle over the cake and scatter with rose petals before serving. You can vary the spice mix in this cake. Try swapping the ginger for ground allspice or crushing a couple of cloves instead of grinding the cardamom seeds. n

In the KITCHEN

It’ll be a winter of content – not discontent – if you treat the family to this delicious twist on a summer favourite...!

WINTER ETON MESS POTS

Preparation Time: 15 minutes. Chilling Time: 15 minutes. Serves 4. 450g pack frozen forest fruit mix • 6 cloves • 1 orange, pared zest • 4 tbsp caster sugar 450g natural yogurt • 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1⁄2 tsp vanilla bean paste • 4 meringue nests, crushed

Put the frozen fruit, cloves, pared orange zest and sugar in a large saucepan. Set over a medium-high heat and cook, shaking the pan from time to time, for 8-12 minutes or until the fruit is defrosted and any juices have bubbled and thickened into a syrupy sauce; set aside to cool completely. When ready to serve, mix the yogurt, cinnamon and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Stir through almost all of the meringue. Remove the cloves and orange zest from the fruit. Spoon the yogurt mixture and fruit into small glasses or bowls, lightly rippling them together. Sprinkle with the reserved meringue and serve immediately. If making in advance, prepare the fruit and the yogurt (without the meringue) and chill in separate bowls. Just before serving, crush the meringues into the yogurt, then assemble in glasses. n