# Cupcakes **Chef:** Shalini **Cookbook:** Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook **Potluck Date:** December 20, 2025 --- ## Recipe CUPCAKES AMALFI CAKE GINGERBREAD Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook CHOCOLATE LOG SWEET CHESTNUT PURÉE, HONEYED CREAM & CRUSHED HONEYCOMB FILLING This Yule log brings back loads of happy memories for me – it was one of the first desserts I ever made as a kid, at Christmas time, of course! This is my slightly more grown-up version, which is really good fun to make and decorate. SERVES 12–141 HOUR PLUS COOLING SPONGE 4 large eggs 75g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 75g self-raising flour 2 tablespoons quality cocoa powder 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste 2 tablespoons caster sugar FILLING 1 x 250g tin of sweetened chestnut purée 1 pinch of ground cinnamon 200ml double cream 1 tablespoon runny honey 1 Crunchie bar or 40g Honeycomb (see here) BUTTERCREAM 150g quality dark chocolate (70%) 150g unsalted butter (at room temperature) 150g icing sugar Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. For the sponge, line a 25cm x 30cm baking tray with greaseproof paper. Separate the eggs. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of sea salt. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar, then, one-by-one, whisk in the egg yolks until really pale and light. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, add the vanilla bean paste, then fold everything together with a large metal spoon so you keep in as much air as possible. Spoon the mixture into the lined tray, gently and evenly spread it out, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just cooked through and springy to the touch. Place a large sheet of greaseproof paper (35cm x 45cm) on a flat surface and evenly sprinkle over the caster sugar from a height. While it’s still hot and flexible, turn the sponge out on to the paper. Peel off and discard the baked piece of greaseproof. With one of the longest sides in front of you, fold up the excess paper, then roll up the sponge with the paper inside (as it cools, this will set the shape but prevent the sponge from cracking). Leave to cool. For the filling, mix the chestnut purée and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks, then fold in the honey. To assemble, unroll the sponge so it’s flat, removing the paper. Spread all over with the chestnut purée, followed by the cream, then smash and sprinkle over the Crunchie bar or honeycomb. Re-roll and pop into the fridge. Meanwhile, make your buttercream. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, then remove and leave to cool. Beat the butter in an electric mixer until pale, then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the icing sugar and cool melted chocolate. Take the log out of the fridge, chop off a quarter at an angle – that’s the branch – and position it on your serving board like in the picture, using a splodge of buttercream to keep it in place. Evenly cover the whole log with buttercream, then use a fork to decorate it. Dust with extra icing sugar and a pinch of sea salt, shaved chocolate, sprinkles, plastic Bambi figures, whatever you like – go to town!   Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook MY VICTORIA SPONGE ORANGE BLOSSOM CHANTILLY CREAM, STRAWBERRY JAM & SPRINKLES Embracing orange blossom in the vanilla Chantilly cream and spiking our strawberry jam with just a little touch of fragrant rosewater creates a wonderful tutti-frutti-flavoured evolution of the classic Victoria sponge – you’ll love it! SERVES 1250 MINUTES PLUS COOLING SPONGE 225g unsalted butter (at room temperature), plus extra for greasing 225g golden caster sugar 4 large eggs 1 orange 225g self-raising flour 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder FILLING & TOPPING 1 vanilla pod 300ml double cream 2 tablespoons icing sugar orange blossom water rosewater 4 tablespoons quality strawberry jam 150g naturally coloured hundreds and thousands Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper circles. For the sponge, by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until super-light and fluffy. One-by-one, beat in the eggs, then finely grate in the orange zest and fold in the flour and baking powder. Divide between the prepared tins and spread out evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden, risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool a little in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. For the Chantilly cream, halve the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds, place them in a bowl with the cream, then sift in the icing sugar. Whisk until you get soft peaks, then add just a few drips of orange blossom water, to taste. Mix just a few drips of rosewater into your strawberry jam. Place your scruffiest sponge on a cake stand and spread the jam over the top, followed by a thin layer of cream. Place the other sponge on top, then, dipping a palette knife into a bowl of boiling kettle water as you go, spread the rest of the cream all over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it out nice and evenly. Rotate the stand as you go to help you, but try not to overwork the cream. Place the cake stand in a large roasting tray and sprinkle your hundreds and thousands on top, flicking and gently patting them up the sides of the cake until you have an even coating. Hopefully all the ones that miss will fall into the tray, allowing you to scoop them up and put them to good use, too. Decorate with candles, sparklers or bunting, if you want, and serve with a good cup of tea.   Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook MY CHRISTMAS CAKE PACKED WITH DRIED FRUIT, COCOA, STOUT & SPICE If I’m completely honest, I’ve never been a massive Christmas cake fan, but my mum insisted I put one in the book, so I spent months developing this, which I do like! It’s lighter than most – have fun decorating it, like I did with Buddy. SERVES 16–243 HOURS 30 MINUTES PLUS COOLING & DECORATING 200g unsalted butter (at room temperature), plus extra for greasing 150g mixed Medjool dates and prunes 500g mixed dried apricots, cranberries, peel, currants 1 apple 1 clementine 100ml stout 200g soft light brown sugar 4 large eggs 200ml whole milk 300g plain flour 1 level teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons quality cocoa powder 1 teaspoon each ground ginger, mixed spice, ground cinnamon Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/gas 2. Grease a 20cm square cake tin with butter and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper, lining the sides high. Tear the stones out of the dates and prunes, then place all the dried fruit in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Decant the mixture into a large bowl, coarsely grate in the apple, finely grate in the clementine zest and squeeze in the juice. Pour in the stout, mix well and leave aside to soak for a few minutes. Meanwhile, blitz the butter and sugar together in the processor until pale, smooth and fluffy. With the processor still running, one-by-one crack in the eggs, then pour in the milk in a steady stream, blitzing until smooth. Scrape this mixture into the bowl of fruit and fold together with a spatula. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa and spices, then fold together again. Transfer to your prepared tin and bake for around 2 hours, or until cooked through and an inserted skewer comes out clean – if it needs a little longer, simply cover the top with greaseproof paper to prevent it from catching. Leave to cool for 30 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Now the fun bit, the decoration. You’ll see from the following pages that my lovely mum likes to keep things traditional – she brushes her cake with warm apricot jam, covers it with marzipan, then uses fondant icing to finish it off nice and smoothly. I, on the other hand, prefer to go a bit more to town. I do brush my cake with warm jam, too, preferably a sour variety, then embracing my inner Mary Berry, I make proper royal icing, and all my old toys come out (for decoration only, of course, so watch those little hands) --- *Downloaded from BCBCBath Cookbook Club* *https://bcbcbath.com*