Settle down for the Call The Midwife festive special with one of these mouthwatering goodies from the show’s official cookbook

CHRISTMAS CAKE

For those who aren’t fans of dark, treacly fruit cakes, this one is much lighter. Decorate with icing flowers or opt for the Nonnatus House route of plastic figurines and a jolly ribbon.

SERVES 12-16

FOR THE CAKE

• 340g (11¾oz) butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 340g (11¾oz) caster sugar
• 1½tbsp orange marmalade
• 1tbsp black treacle
• 7 eggs, separated
• 500g (1lb 2oz) plain flour
• 340g (11¾oz) dried currants
• 340g (11¾oz) golden raisins
• 170g (6oz) dark raisins
• 170g (6oz) diced candied orange peel
• ½tsp ground nutmeg
• A pinch of salt
• 1½tbsp rum
• ¾tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼tsp pure almond extract

TO DECORATE

• 160g (5¾oz) apricot jam
• Icing sugar, for dusting
• 1kg (2lb 4oz) marzipan
• 1kg (2lb 4oz) ready-to-roll fondant icing
• Red and green food colouring (optional)

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 140°C/fan 120°C/gas 1. Butter the bottom and sides of a 23cm diameter cake tin. Line the bottom and sides with baking parchment and butter the paper.

In a bowl, using a wooden spoon, beat the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the marmalade and treacle, and mix until incorporated. Add the egg yolks one at a time, alternating with about 85g flour at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the currants, golden and dark raisins, candied peel, nutmeg, salt, rum, vanilla extract and almond extract.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Working in two or three batches, gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until no white streaks remain.

Transfer the batter to the tin. Wrap the bottom and sides of the tin with a double layer of baking parchment and tie it in place with kitchen string. Top with a loose lid of parchment or kitchen foil. Bake for 3 hours, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (check after 2½ hours). Cool in the tin for 1 hour, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment, turn upright, and allow to cool completely.

To decorate, place the cake on a flat serving plate. Warm the jam over medium-low heat, then pass through a sieve placed over a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the jam over the top and sides of the cake.

Specially Selected Pedro Ximenez Sherry (17%, 37.5cl) £6.29, Aldi

Sift a light dusting of icing sugar onto a work surface. Set the marzipan on the prepared surface and knead until soft, pliable and smooth, then flatten it into a thick disc. Lightly dust the disc and a rolling pin with more icing sugar, and roll out the disc into a round about 16mm thick and large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake, lifting and rotating it occasionally to make sure it is not sticking to the surface.

Gently roll the marzipan around the rolling pin, then carefully unroll it over the cake. Smooth the top and sides, pressing the marzipan lightly against the cake to force out any air bubbles and ripples. Trim off any excess. Loosely cover the cake with parchment paper so air can circulate and stand at room temperature for 2-3 days to let the marzipan set and dry.

Handle the fondant the same way you handled the marzipan, kneading it and rolling it out on a sugar-dusted surface and then smoothing it over the top and sides of the cake. Excess fondant can be coloured and shaped into decorations of your choice.

Olly Smith’s drinks pairing: Cracking with cake

Specially Selected Pedro Ximenez Sherry (17%, 37.5cl) £6.29, Aldi

This sumptuous, luscious sherry is a liquid fruit cake of a wine. It’s spot on to sip slowly with this week’s delicious Christmas Cake… and is best served cold.

TRIFLE

Trifle is one of the more frequently seen sweet dishes at Nonnatus House. In season ten, Miss Higgins enjoys a Harvey Wallbanger cocktail with the trifle.

SERVES 6

• 1 x 420g tin of sliced peaches in syrup
• 1tbsp granulated sugar
• 3-4 drops of pure vanilla extract (optional)
• 6 fairy cakes, or ½ a 15cm (6in) diameter sponge cake, cut into 1cm (½in) thick slices
• 60g (2¼oz) macaroons
• 60g (2¼oz) ratafia or amaretti biscuits, plus extra to decorate
• 4-5tbsp sherry
• 300ml (½pt) double cream
• 1½tsp icing sugar

Gonzalez Byass Matusalem (20.5%, 37.5cl) £24.99, Waitrose

TO DECORATE

• Flaked almonds and a glacé cherry

Drain the peaches in a fine-meshed sieve over a small saucepan. Set the peaches aside. Add the granulated sugar to the syrup. 

Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, if using, and cool to room temperature.

Arrange the cake slices over the bottom of a 2-3ltr trifle bowl. Top with the macaroons and ratafia or amaretti in a single layer. Drizzle the sherry over the biscuits, adding just enough to moisten them (you do not want them to break down). Pour the cooled peach syrup over, then top with the drained peaches, reserving a few slices to decorate the top.

In a bowl, whisk the cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain or star-shaped nozzle and pipe all over the peaches (or simply spoon gently over the top). Decorate with the reserved peaches, crumbled extra ratafia or amaretti, flaked almonds and glacé cherry. Chill for several hours before serving.

Cook’s tip: You can use other tinned fruit, such as pears or fruit cocktail, if you prefer, and decorate with hundreds and thousands.

Olly’s drinks pairing: Splash out on this sherry

Gonzalez Byass Matusalem (20.5%, 37.5cl) £24.99, Waitrose

Now’s the time to push the boat out with one of the world’s finest sherries – and this one takes some beating. Deliciously sweet yet tangy, it’s a masterpiece that’s ideal sipped with a booze-infused dessert like Trifle.

GINGERBREAD NOT MEN

These biscuits make ideal tree decorations. We see Reggie tucking in to gingerbread Santas in the season nine Christmas special. They keep for weeks in a sealed container.

MAKES ALMOST THE ENTIRE RECURRING CAST AS OF SEASON 11 (18 biscuits)

• 200g (7oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½tsp baking soda
• 1½tsp ground ginger
• ½tsp mixed spice
• 90g (3¼oz) butter
• 50g (1¾oz) sugar
• 2tbsp golden syrup
• 1tbsp water

TO DECORATE

• 150-200g (5½-7oz) royal icing mix
• Food colouring in blue, navy, red and white (or your preferred colours)

Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger and mixed spice into a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and golden syrup and heat gently just until the butter melts. Do not allow to boil. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture, add the water and mix together well with a wooden spoon.

Shape the dough into a smooth, slightly greasy ball. Pop it into a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it stand for 1 hour to cool down. If you are not ready to bake yet, you can refrigerate it for a few hours or even overnight.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Using biscuit or cookie cutters in the desired figure shapes, cut out as many figures as possible and transfer them to the prepared trays, spacing them about 2.5cm apart. Reroll the scraps and cut out more figures, as needed. Chill for 30-45 minutes.

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3.

Bake until lightly browned and cooked through but still yielding a little to the touch, around 20-25 minutes. Carefully transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Mix up the royal icing according to the packet instructions and divide it into four bowls. Add a few drops of your desired colour to three bowls and mix.

Spoon the icings into piping bags fitted with plain tips (or into small plastic bags with a corner cut off). 

Jing Organic Cherrywood Lapsang £17.50 per 100g, jingtea.com

Decorate to form capes, cardigans and hats – and if you decide an occasional man is permissible after all – ties and jackets. Let them set before serving.

Fab fact:  Gingerbread comes from Roman spiced breads, and early recipes use breadcrumbs, honey and spice to make a thick mixture.

Olly’s drinks pairing: Great with gingerbread

Jing Organic Cherrywood Lapsang £17.50 per 100g, jingtea.com

Resonant and refreshing, this tea is a smoky bullseye which strikes a comforting balance that’s silky and splendid with the Gingerbread Not Men. It’s tea taken to the next level. 

MORE FESTIVE TIPPLES

Super for a sweet tooth

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Sticky Toffee Rum Liqueur (20%, 50cl) £15

With its heady scent of sticky toffee pudding, this liqueur is gorgeous over ice as a festive accompaniment to any sweet treats.

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Sticky Toffee Rum Liqueur (20%, 50cl) £15

Magic with mince pies

Blandy’s Duke of Clarence Madeira (19%) £14.50, Tesco

Madeira pairs marvellously with mince pies, so it’s great for this time of year. And for a 75cl bottle, this offering is terrific value for money. Serve it generously and cold, ideally in white wine glasses. It’s party time!

L-R: Blandy’s Duke of Clarence Madeira (19%); The Best Botrytis Semillon 2017 (11.5%, 37.5cl) £7.50, reduced to £6.50 until 1 Jan, Morrisons

Stunning with shortbread

The Best Botrytis Semillon 2017 (11.5%, 37.5cl) £7.50, reduced to £6.50 until 1 Jan, Morrisons

This delicious sweet wine is as tasty as a tropical mango, with an irresistible golden hue. An absolute treat with a twist of freshness, it’s particularly good served cold with shortbread.

• Call The Midwife: The Official Cookbook by Annie Gray, published by Titan Books Ltd, £29.99, is out now. To order a copy for £26.99 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25. Promotional price valid until 23/12/2023. 

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