Baking General: Holidays Edition

>>7140437
I'm thinking of making a giant fuckoff cake before Christmas break and treating my friends to it. What's a good 'holiday' cake? I was thinking cheesecake or whatever. I dunno, what would bring out the holiday spirit in you guys?

>>7140437
Did you toast those walnuts? That looks pretty tasty.

I was a pastry chef for 11 years, so I don't get away with making simple delicious desserts for people. They expect to be impressed and it kind of sucks.

>>7141481
For me it's cheesecake. Mine just cracked though.

>>7141498
I should have, that's a good idea
thank you

>>7140437
recipe?

Thanks, OP. Now I have to make one of those

>>7140437
I got a sous vide circulator as a gift not long ago so I think I'll do some poached pears in riesling & poached apples in a red wine
Cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, sugar & maybe cardamom

>>7140437
i'm torn between yet another cheesecake and black forest gateau. if i do the cheesecake likely i'll do a set ganache on top with maybe a thin layer of homemade cherry jam? if not then i'll just do a shiny ganache. last year i did a dulce de leche swirled cheesecake

>>7145256
>http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2303676/black-forest-gteau
>literally 15 tsp of sugar per serving

holy fucking hell

I was thinking to make a mulled cider and braise pork belly in it with a small addition of sage and juniper berries.

>>7145271
not that anon, but whenever i make a dessert i usually cut the sugar in half and they're still plenty sweet

>>7145355
doesn't that fuck with the ratios? i thought sugar was there to be sweet, but also keep baked things moist and stuff.

>>7145632
not that anon but i usually cut the sugar back too because american recipes have a shit load of sugar