From family teas to fancy parties, the best baking treats to see you through the festive season

It’s holiday season soon, a time for winter feasting, for baking Christmas treats. If you want simple and savoury – Jeremy Lee’s definitive soda bread, a smart twist on cheesy straws, or something eye-catching and adventurous such as Justin Gellatly’s monumental croquembouche – you need look no further. From Dan Lepard to Dominique Ansel, Anna Jones to Claire Ptak, Yotam Ottolenghi to Nigel Slater, our experts have your back. There are also crisp shortbread stars, a Christmas pudding, perfect mince pies, Mont Blanc tarts, a luxurious meringue cake, even Anja Dunk’s gingerbread house. Top recipes for a family tea or a posher party. Merry Christmas everyone.

Gloriously festive, these fragrant star biscuits are perfect to have on hand for cups of tea over Christmas, and make a great present.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yotam Ottolenghi’s orange and saffron shortbread stars. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian

Bright, rich, spicy and most importantly delicious, this seasonal staple is best made ahead, then left to gently warm while you eat Christmas lunch.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Christmas pudding from Claire Ptak’s Violet Bakery. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

With its snowy surface giving way to layers of crisp flaky pastry and rich and buttery vanilla creme patissiere, this is a winter wonderland of a cake.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Napoleon Cake from Alissa Timoshkina. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

Christmas entertaining is a snap with these moreish snacks – easy to make, quick to cook straight from the freezer, and perfect with a drink.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cheesy Marmite straws from Alvin Caudwell. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

An easy recipe for a snowy fairytale scene that’s as fun to decorate as it is to eat.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gingerbread house from Anja Dunk. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

Deep, rich flavours from prune and armagnac add seasonally appropriate indulgent notes to a chocolate brownie recipe that will still please purists.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nigel Slater’s prune brownies. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/The Observer

This impressive cake, traditionally smashed by the host before serving, makes a theatrical centrepiece for the Christmas table.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Justin Gellatly’s croquembouche. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

This take on an Italian tart is an almost perfect wintry pudding – seasonal fruit, enveloped in a ricotta cream and baked in a hazelnut crust.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pear, persimmon and ricotta crostata from Joe Trivelli. Photograph: Jean Cazals/The Observer

Buttery puff pastry, oozy cheese and layered potatoes, this pie elevates comfort food to be a vegetarian main worthy of a Christmas feast.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dauphinoise pies from Ravneet Gill. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

One recipe for fruity and deeply spiced mincemeat and one for the perfect crisp pastry that helps transform it into these Christmas essentials.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mince pies from Blanche Vaughan. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

A twist on the French bûche de Noël sees the traditional dark chocolate sponge and icing swapped for pistachios and white chocolate.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dan Lepard’s pistachio halva chocolate roulade. Photograph: Dan Lepard

Nothing beats bread warm from the oven, generously spread with butter. This easy loaf is made with an interesting heritage grain and works particularly well with smoked salmon or Christmas cheese.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeremy Lee’s beremeal treacle soda bread and smoked salmon. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

In this sophisticated tart, the classic pudding of chestnut puree and whipped cream is given a bit more interest with crunchy pecan praline.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh mont blanc tarts. Photograph: Peden & Munk

Membrillo – quince paste – isn’t just for the cheese board. Stirred into a mix with buttermilk, spelt and poppy seeds, when baked it melts deliciously into this surprisingly decadent tray bake.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Anna Jones membrillo, buttermilk and poppy seed cake. Photograph: Ana Cuba

Like a boozy pavlova with a lid, the elements for this merry pudding can be made two days in advance, taking a little stress out of Christmas feasting.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeremy Lee’s walnut and pineapple meringue cake. Photograph: Danielle Wood/The Observer

This dinner-party favourite takes an update, hiding nuggets of a favourite Christmas sweet in its oozy centre. One for the traditional pudding haters.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chocolate fondant pudding cakes with Turkish delight from Greg and Lucy Malouf. Photograph: Alan Benson

This traditional Indian Catholic family recipe is full of rich and bittersweet caramel and rum flavours, with plenty of spiced sweet ginger and chopped cashews.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rum-soaked raisin caramel cake from Nik Sharma. Photograph: Nik Sharma

Influenced by American home-cooking, this cheesecake is full of seasonal spices – and was a much-coveted favourite of the kitchen staff at Honey & Co.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Honey & Co’s butternut squash and spice cheesecake from Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Observer

There’s no better use for leftover croissants, and this is an easy and a gorgeously indulgent brunch or supper for the lazy post-Christmas days.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jam and butter croissant pudding from Dominique Ansel. Photograph: Martin Poole/The Observer

A sweet, orange-blossom-flavoured brioche-like bread is traditional in Provence for Christmas Eve – but it works equally well as a Boxing Day breakfast for dipping into mugs of hot chocolate.