Christmas baking recipes

Easily turn a classic fruitcake into cute personalised gifts or place markers for Christmas lunch with fondant icing and cocktail

Forget fiddly mince pies, fill puff pastry with juicy mincemeat and fruit and serve this festive dessert in slices - perfect for entertaining

These delicious hazelnut macaroons are delicate but full of flavour and very easy to make. They are a Christmas classic, perfect for the winter season

This towering cake has layers of chocolate sponge, meringue and chestnut cream - a stunning centrepiece for a festive dinner party

Great British Bake Off 2013 winner Frances Quinn created these edible decorations topped with white and dark chocolate and almond 'feathers'

The traditional Italian dessert is turned into a pretty hand-held nutty pie with chocolate and figs, plus an orange liqueur cream topping

Bake a batch of these sweet German buns over Christmas and enjoy at breakfast or teatime... or both

These simple buttery biscuits are made with agave syrup, which is sweeter than sugar, meaning you can add less while still achieving a delicious taste

Leftover cranberry sauce? Use it as an excuse to make these delicious chocolate, nutty cake squares

This quick and easy fridge cakes make a great addition to a homemade gift hamper

Craft enchanting reindeer food flapjacks with kids on Christmas Eve. Packed with love and key ingredients like carrots, it's a magical treat for our festive friends!

A novel way to use up root vegetables is to bake up a sweet, moist sponge with citrus flavours

Kids will love making these cute Christmas cupcakes from Planet Cake

This fun spin on the traditional Lancashire fruit cakes uses leftover marzipan to make irresistible individual pies

If anyone in your family isn't keen on traditional fruitcake, this might be the compromise you've been looking for

From freezer to oven, these cheeky Eccles mince pies are perfect mid-afternoon with an equally cheeky glass of mulled wine. It is Christmas after all!

A real treat. Associate food editor, Barney Desmazery, has had this recipe in his family for 100 years

With a hint of spice and little pockets of mincemeat, this is a lovely post-Christmas cake, great with warm custard

This traditional Christmas cake is the perfect combination of fruit, nuts and spices

A fruit cake for those who like theirs light, spicy, fruity and moist, with a tart cranberry topping

BBC Good Food's show-stealing December 08 cover recipe - perfect if you fancy a change from the usual Christmas cake

This square Christmas cake is cut into two loaf-shaped cakes, so you can give one to a friend

A stunning cake that uses the 'boiling method' to plump up dried fruit. Decorate with pistachio paste trees and swirles of fluffy icing

Eat these family-friendly sausage rolls with a chutney or pickle. They make a great snack for a party buffet