From beloved author Skye McAlpine, an all-things-Christmas cookbook and gifty guide to the perfect holiday, from hosting to roasting-and everything you need to spread cheer with the people you love.

From inimitable author Skye McAlpine, The Christmas Companion is a gorgeous wall-to-wall guide to an unfussy yet elegant Christmas to remember. With recipes both celebratory and deeply comforting that skew Italian, the book includes Christmas canon favorites like Ginger and Apricot Glazed Ham and Panettone Woodland Cake, edible gifts like Marzipan Fruits and Chocolate Salami, and fool­proof menus for every event-from two­-person romantic dinners to blowout cocktail parties or Christmas lunch for twenty. But like any holiday devotee, Skye knows the preparation is half the fun. In The Christmas Companion, she also gives her best tips for creating the perfect holiday space: guides to making Candy Cane Heart Ornaments and “playing Santa,” how to make your own Christmas crackers, and the most beautiful ways to decorate the Christmas table.

A highly giftable holiday treat, The Christmas Companion is sure to perennially spread Christmas cheer.

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Gingerbread Cake, Cranberry and Zabaione Trifle

If you are able to serve this in a glass dish then all the better, because part of the magic of a trifle, I can’t help but feel, is to see and enjoy all the different layers. This Anglo-Italian variation on the theme of trifle, with its layer of dark, sticky gingerbread, ruby-red cranberry sauce, custard yellow, frothy zabaione and final stratum of soft, snowy whipped cream, is certainly no exception. Equally – and obviously – it will taste just as good however you serve it, so if all you have is a salad bowl, that will do well too. Don’t let the absence of the right bowl put you off: this particular combination of cloud-like zabaione with dense, peppery gingerbread is enough to make even those who think they don’t really like trifle (of which I count myself a member) change their minds.

A traditional trifle calls for a layer of custard, which I’ve replaced here with airy zabaione, infused with Amaretto liquor, instead of the more conventional prosecco or Marsala. The hint of sweet almond is a subtle and pleasing complement to the layer of sticky, spiced ginger cake. All together the cake, cream and zabaione are quite sweet, which is why I like the sharpness of cranberry sauce (be it from a jar or homemade, see page 291) here rather than a more canonical sweet jam, such as raspberry or apricot, but you could also use fresh fruit instead. A layer of frozen jammy raspberries would work well, as would blackberries or redcurrants. And if you crave the jellied sweetness of jam, far be it from me to stand in your way. As an added bonus, the trifle freezes very nicely; so you can, if you like, make it well in advance, then defrost in the fridge overnight and top with the last layer of whipped cream, to serve.

HANDS ON TIME
35 minutes

HANDS OFF TIME
1 hour (minimum) standing before serving

SERVES 8–10

580g gingerbread cake (I use Jamaica Ginger Cake)
300g cranberry sauce
12 egg yolks
200g caster sugar
140ml Amaretto
30g flaked almonds
900ml double cream

Slice the gingerbread cake into 2–3cm-thick pieces and arrange in a trifle dish in a single layer, squishing the pieces of sticky cake together with your fingers so the entire area is covered. Now spoon the cranberry sauce over the cake, spreading it out evenly.

Fill a pan up to one-third full of water, set it over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk with electric beaters – plugged in (if they need to be) close to the stove – for 2–3 minutes, or until you have a light, fluffy and voluminous mass. As the mixture begins to froth up, set the bowl over the pan of gently simmering water, taking care that the hot water doesn’t touch the bowl. Keep whisking until the mixture is thick enough for a trail of it to remain on the surface when drizzled over from the whisk. Slowly pour in the Amaretto, whisking all the while. This should take 3–5 minutes, and as you add the liquid, the zabaione will double in size and thicken. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the zabaione cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

Toss the flaked almonds into a nonstick frying pan and set over a medium heat. Toast for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to move the shards of nuts about, until they are lightly golden. Take off the heat and set aside.

In a second bowl, whip 400ml of the double cream until soft peaks form, taking care not to over-whip. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled zabaione and spoon the yellow, Amaretto-scented custard into the trifle dish, over the cranberry sauce, spreading it out evenly. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 36 hours. Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months, then defrost overnight in the fridge before adding the whipped cream and nuts.

When ready to serve, whip the remaining cream to soft peaks, spoon it over the layer of zabaione and sprinkle over the toasted flaked almonds. You can prepare this up to
24 hours before serving and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready for pudding.

Excerpted from The Christmas Companion: Simple Recipes and Creative Ideas for a Magical Festive Season. Used with the permission of the publisher, Bloomsbury. Text copyright © 2025 by Skye McAlpine, Photography copyright © 2025 by Skye McAlpine