The festive season has finally arrived and with it the joy of lots of decadent food and drink! In association with Tala we have created two gorgeous Christmas bakes for you to try at home. With our step by step guides and equipment lists they are absolutely fail-safe!

Cranberry and clementine bundt cake

Festive jewel-like cranberries, citrussy aromas, a crown of deep green clementine leaves and a beautiful drizzled glaze... nothing says 'Merry Christmas' more joyfully than the Tala Clementine and Cranberry Christmas cake!

This very beautiful Bundt cake makes great use of the Tala Performance Bundt Tin. It is full of Christmas flavours and, containing oil rather than butter, it is a doddle to whip up by hand – no need for a food mixer. If you can, buy clementines with the leaves still on as they make a beautiful festive crown for the top of the cake.

Ingredients

Method

1. Put the kettle on to boil. Place two of the clementines into a small saucepan, cover with just-boiled water and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain off the water and allow the
fruit to cool.

2. When cooled (no need to cool completely) roughly chop the fruits, peel and all, remove pips and blend roughly with a stick blender.

3. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit).

4. Carefully grease and flour the Tala Performance decorative cake pan.

5. Place the eggs and oil into a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk, then add the blended clementines and sugar and whisk again.

6. Place the flour, salt, bicarb and baking soda into the large mixing bowl and whisk carefully to evenly distribute the raising agents.

7. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing with the silicone headed spatula and eliminating lumps and pockets of flour.

8. Add the dried cranberries and mix again, briefly, before transferring to the prepared cake tin and baking for 50 minutes. Check and turn the cake after 30 minutes if necessary. The cake will be ready when it is golden brown, risen on top and a cake tester inserted mid-depth into the cake will appear to be clean when removed.

9. Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely – depending on the temperature of your kitchen you'll need to allow at least an hour.

10. Prepare the glaze by placing the icing sugar into the (cleaned) medium size mixing bowl, adding the oil and a dessert spoon of clementine juice and mixing to quite a firm paste. Add more juice if necessary but bear in mind that the glaze need to be quite thick or it will disappear into the cake.

11. Transfer the glaze into a piping bag with a round open and pipe the glaze over the top of the cake, round and round several times in a large 'O' shape until you are happy with the effect. The glaze will collect and drip down the sides of the cake. Leave it to set for 15 minutes or so.

12. While the glaze is setting, chop up the clementines reserved for decoration and arrange around the top. Sprinkle the remaining dried cranberries over the arrangement and tuck the leaves in and around the fruit. Serve to a gathering of cheery Christmas guests and enjoy.

Gluten free mulled wine chocolate cake

Surely everyone has a spare bottle of mulled wine hanging around in the cupboard, so Tala has created the perfect way to use it up! A slice of this gooey mulled wine cake will win even the fussiest of eaters over and is a great change from the usual fruit laden options that appear over Christmas. This cake is perfect for making in the Tala Performance Round 20cm Springform Pan.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170C degrees

2. Grease or spray tin with cake release spray

3. In a food mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy

4. Beat in eggs one at a time to butter mix, beating well after each addition

5. Beat in vanilla extract

6. In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt

7. Gradually add flour mix and mulled wine alternating between the two, beating slowly between each addition until just combined. Scrape down bowl as needed

8. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top

9. Bake for about 45-50 mins until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean

10. Allow cake to cool in the tin placed on a wire rack for about 15 mins

11. Then turn cake out of tin and let it cool completely on a wire rack

12. Place the mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk till light and fluffy

13. When cake is completely cooled, spread icing on top and scatter with edible gold balls before serving to your admiring guests!