What To Do With Leftover Christmas Cake

At least that's what happens in our family. Mum always makes one (complete with teeth-breaking icing which I love - fondant is dirty word in our family), has the odd slice over Christmas and then, come the New Year, she banishes all leftover Christmas cake from the house and foists it onto me

This is the time of year when everyone's mother bestows upon them the gift of leftover Christmas cake. Lots of it.

At least that's what happens in our family. Mum always makes one (complete with teeth-breaking icing which I love - fondant is dirty word in our family), has the odd slice over Christmas and then, come the New Year, she banishes all leftover Christmas cake from the house and foists it onto me, lest my father should gorge on it before he's even begun his New Year New You diet.

So I am left to gorge on it instead. And am happy to oblige.

It's just there's quite a lot of it this year. I took one batch home with me on Boxing Day, then another hunk of it was deposited at the weekend. A veritable glut! And we know how to treat gluts here at G&G HQ...

So here's my suggestion for using up your glut of leftover Christmas cake:

Leftover Christmas Cake Trifle

For the pears:

125ml rich sweet sherry

90g caster sugar

2 small pears

For the custard:

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp caster sugar

5g plain flour

Pinch mixed spice

50ml double cream

50ml milk

To assemble:

140g leftover Christmas cake

100g double cream, whipped to soft peaks

Flaked almonds, to serve

Mixed peel, to serve

Dissolve the sugar in the sherry over a medium heat.

Peel and halve the pears then add them to the sherry syrup and simmer for 15-20 minutes until just soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

To make the custard, mix the egg yolk, sugar, flour and mixed spice in a saucepan then gradually whisk in the cream and milk. Set over a medium heat and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir continuously otherwise it'll go all lumpy. Transfer to a cool bowl and set aside until needed.

To assemble, lift the pears out of the syrup, slice into neat little wedges and arrange them in a fan on the base of your (very natty) trifle glass. Crumble the Christmas cake on top and pack it in a little. Drizzle 2 tbsp of the pear cooking liquid over the cake for extra kick. Now spoon the custard on top and finish with the whipped cream, almonds and mixed peel. If you're feeling uber-retro you can pop a glace cherry on top too.

This recipe first appeared on the Gluts and Gluttony blog. For more seasonal recipes visit glutsandgluttony.com

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