Saturday, 23 December, 7 p.m.
‘One mulled wine too many, I think,’ Katie said, laughing, and leaning on John’s arm as they left the village hall together. She was still wearing his coat, and was grateful for it – the clear night was crisp and chilly.
‘And quite right too,’ John said. ‘In case you haven’t noticed, it’s nearly Christmas, Katie.’
‘You’re right!’ Katie sang out into the still night. ‘Only two days to go.’
‘So, tell me,’ John said. ‘What are you going to spend the money Bea gave you on?’
‘Ooh,’ she said, with a rush of enthusiasm. ‘There’s a course running in Leeds on vintage-style wedding cakes. I’ve been thinking for a while that I’d like to be able to offer something special like that.’
‘Sounds good,’ John said. ‘Well, if you ever need a willing guinea pig … ’
‘I’ll know just where to look,’ Katie said, with a smile. The snow glistened on the ground under the old streetlamps of Skipley High Street. The sounds of revelry from the Village Hall had grown distant, and the street was peaceful. As Katie’s eyes met John’s warm brown gaze, she felt as if she were seeing him for the first time. How had she never noticed him in that way? Perhaps she’d been so consumed in making her shop a success, she hadn’t made time for anything else.
Looking away, Katie scooped up a lump of snow from a car bonnet and shaped it into a ball. Then, taking aim, lobbed it at John from close range. He gave a laugh of surprise, then hastily cobbled together a snowball of his own and returned fire.
Dashing behind the car for shelter, she rolled up another ball and threw it over the top. As she stood up, one hit her squarely on the shoulder before dissolving into powder. Katie laughed as she brushed off the snow.
‘So tell me,’ Katie ventured, emboldened by the freshness of the night and the mulled wine she’d drunk. ‘Is it just the cakes you come in for?’
‘Of course it is,’ John said.
Katie hesitated, then noticed the cheeky glint in his eye.
‘It’s just I was rather hoping,’ Katie said, taking a step towards him so that they were almost touching, ‘that there might be more to it than that.’
‘Whatever do you mean?’ he asked, innocently, looking into her eyes.
‘You know.’
‘Katie Jones,’ he said, brushing some of the powdered snow out of her dark hair. ‘Good as your baking is, I have to say you’re right.’
The church bells rang out as she smiled in response.
John leaned in to kiss her gently, and she put her arms around him, bringing him closer. He pulled away for a moment.
‘Merry Christmas, Katie,’ he whispered in her ear.
Christmas Recipes
I hope you enjoyed reading The Christmas Bake Off. To make Bea’s prize-winning cinnamon stars for your family and friends, just follow this simple recipe:
Cinnamon Stars
3 egg whites
250g icing sugar
400g ground almonds
2 level teaspoons of cinnamon powder
4 level teaspoons of cocoa powder (to add colour - the biscuit dough will be brown and the frosting a snowy white.)
Whisk egg whites stiff, then fold in the icing sugar.
Put aside 5 tablespoons of this meringue mixture – you’ll need this later, to paint the biscuits before baking.
Mix the cinnamon and cocoa in with the ground almonds and bind together with the rest of the stiffly beaten egg whites. Work lightly into a dough and then place in the fridge for 30 mins. Enjoy a glass of mulled wine while you’re waiting.
Roll dough out to a thickness of around 1.5cm (not thinner), between two large layers of cling film (as the dough will be very sticky).
Using a star-shaped cutter, cut out your biscuit shapes.
With a pastry brush, add a coating of the meringue mix over the top of the stars.
Place biscuits on greaseproof paper/ baking parchment. Bake for up to 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 150 degrees. Check on your biscuits after 15 minutes – when ready, they should be fairly moist, not hard, and the star frosting should still be white.
Arrange the biscuits on a wire rack to cool, then store in an airtight container until you’re ready to gift – or eat – them.
For a pretty accompaniment to your stars (and to use up your egg yolks) try these tasty vanilla crescent moons:
Vanilla Moons
100g ground almonds
280g plain flour
70g sugar
200g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
50g icing sugar
A few drops of vanilla essence
Beat the butter, sugar and egg yolks together
Sift the flour, then mix that and the ground almonds in with your butter, sugar and egg mixture.
Flavour with drops of vanilla essence to taste.
Place the dough in the fridge for an hour. When it’s cool, form it into small sausage shapes with your hands and then curl them to make the moons. Place the biscuits on a baking tray with a little room for them to spread.
Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees for 20 minutes.
Arrange on a wire rack to cool.
You can store them in an airtight container. When you’re ready to put them out to eat, give them a dusting of sifted icing sugar.
Happy baking! Love, Abby xx
Enjoy this seasonal amuse-bouche?
Then you’ll love getting your teeth into ‘Meet Me Under the Mistletoe’ – also by Abby Clements.
Available now!
The Christmas Bake-Off Page 3