Cooking with Wine

Ginger Sponge Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sift the flour into a dry clean bowl then add all the other spices, fresh ginger and baking soda, mix thoroughly and set aside.

Add butter and brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until the mixture is well blended and visibly lighter in color.

Next add the golden syrup/honey and molasses into the mixing bowl and mix until well combined.

In a smaller bowl whisk the whole milk and 2 eggs together. Start alternating adding the milk mixture and the dry mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter mixture. Mix until just combined. You don’t want to overwork the batter as this will result in a very dense cake.

Once combined, pour batter into a 9 inch baking dish and bake for 45 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely. You can make the cake in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week prior to using.

Classic Gingerbread Men

In your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment cream together your butter and sugar on a high until it is noticeably lighter in color. Once light and fluffy add in the golden syrup/honey and the egg and mix until combined.

Meanwhile, sift the flour into a clean large bowl with baking soda and all the spices. Mix together until combined thoroughly. Set aside.

Once the butter mixture is well combined, change to the paddle attachment and slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Once combined into a dough, remove from the mixing bowl and form into a ball with your hands.

Next, place the dough ball between two pieces of parchment paper and roll flat to around ½ inch thick in between two pieces of parchment paper. Then slide it onto a sheet tray and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. This allows the butter to harden making it easier to cut into shapes.

While the dough rests in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F.

After 30 minutes remove the dough from the fridge and use a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter to make your mini gingerbread men. Place each cut gingerbread man back onto your parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-11 minutes depending on the size of your gingerbread men. When baked, remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container or ziptop bag until ready to use. These gingerbread cookies can be made up to 1 week in advance for best results.

Cinnamon Crème Anglaise

In a heavy saucepan, add the milk and half (⅛ cup) of the sugar along with the cinnamon and vanilla. It doesn’t need to be exact, it is just to stop the milk from scalding. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl add the rest of the sugar and the egg yolks and whisk rapidly until the egg mixture lightens in color. The lighter the color the more air you have incorporated, and the lighter your crème anglaise will be.

As soon as the milk is boiling, remove from the heat and pour mixture slowly into the egg mixture while still whisking to temper the eggs (this means slowly introducing heat to the eggs so they do not scramble). Once mixed in, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium-low heat whisking continuously. Keep whisking until it reaches 185°F and the crème anglaise becomes thick and silky.

Once at 185°F, remove from the heat and place into a clean dry bowl over an ice bath to bring down the temperature. Once cool, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make the crème anglaise up to 3 days prior to using.

Brandy Whipped cream

Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or pour in a bowl and use an electric mixer. Mix on high speed until it just forms stiff peaks. Add powdered sugar and mix until just combined.

Stop the machine and fold in the brandy using a rubber spatula until combined.

Place whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. The whipped cream is best if made the day you plan to serve these.

Assemble Your Trifles

When ready to assemble, in each trifle dish make repeating layers of sponge cake (either cut to the size of your serving dish or broken into smaller pieces), crème anglaise and whipped cream until you reach the top of your dish. Add gingerbread men and bits crumbled sponge cake on top and serve.

You can assemble these, cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve as well, up to 24 hours in advance.