Grease a loaf tin, or else line it with moistened baking paper. Roll out the pastry quite thinly on a lightly floured surface and line the loaf tin with it. Leave some pastry for the top. Preheat the oven 1800C, gas mark 4. Cut a number of thin slices of sponge cake and spread some apricot jam on them. Use these slices to cover the bottom and sides of the pastry, jam side facing the pastry. Put the ricotta in a mixing bowl.  Add the sugar and liqueur and mix well until you have a creamy texture. Quarter the cherries and add them, together with the vanilla essence and the grated lemon rind, to the ricotta mixture.  Mix well. Cut some more slices of sponge cake. Fill the loaf tin with the ricotta mixture.  Smooth the top and cover it with the sponge cake slices.  Spread some more jam on them. Moisten the edges of the pastry with a little water and cover with the remaining pastry.  Seal well and trim the edges. Make some slits in the top, brush with beaten egg and bake for around 60 minutes. Leave the Sinizza to cool completely before removing it from the tin and slicing it.

Prepare the sweet shortcrust pastry. Preheat the oven 1800C, gas mark 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry thinly and line a 24cm diameter, non-stick baking dish with it. If possible, use a loose bottomed tin. This will make it easier to remove the baked tart later on. If you will be using baking paper, moisten it slightly before lining the tin. Press the pastry lightly and firmly all over the base and sides of the tin, easing any overlapping pastry back down the sides, as it is important not to stretch this bit too much. Trim the edges, leaving a small edge of pastry sticking over the edge of the baking dish to allow for shrinkage in the oven. Prick the pastry’s bottom and sides a few times with a fork. Core, peel and slice the apples according to your taste. Place the sliced apples in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon rind and sultanas and mix well. Fill the baking dish with the apple mixture. Moisten the edges of the pastry with a little water. Cover completely the top with the remaining pastry, or else cut the pastry in strips and form a grid with them. Seal well and trim the edges of the tart. Make some slits in the top and brush with beaten egg. Bake for around 50 minutes, until the pastry gets a rich, golden colour.

Warm the oven at 235C, gas number 8. Sieve the flour together with the chocolate powder. Grease a rectangular dish, of 45cm long by 38cm wide, with a little margarine and cover the bottom with a piece of baking paper. Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in an electric mixer and work until the mixture turns white and thickens like a cream. You can also use an electric hand beater. Add the glycerin and continue to mix. Gradually add the flour little by little to the mixture while beating all the time. IMPORTANT: NEVER throw in all the flour at once! Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and see that its height is the same allover. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Take the sponge out of the oven, remove it from the dish and place it face down on a napkin until it cools. For the filling: Put 2 jars of fresh cream or half of the UHT cream in a bowl and stir well. UHT cream is better to fill the Swiss roll. Cover the sponge with this cream and roll it. Place the Swiss roll in the fridge for at least two hours. In the meantime. melt the chocolate in the microwave or a bain-marie. It is very important that neither water nor steam come into contact with the chocolate and that you do not cover it whilst melting. If you use chocolate that is button-shaped and not block-shaped, it will melt much faster. Place the remaining 2 jars of fresh cream or UHT cream in a saucepan and heat over a moderate heat. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool. Beat the cold cream well with an electric hand beater or mixer. Take the Swiss roll out of the fridge, place it on a large, oblong plate and cover it with this cream. Put it back in the fridge for at least two hours. Take out of the fridge and scratch the surface of the chocolate with a fork to make it look like a tree trunk (see photo). Sprinkle some icing sugar on top and decorate with Christmas decorations.

Prepare a sponge flan according to the sponge recipe. Put the ricotta and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mash them well until the mixture turns creamy.  If you see that the ricotta is rather dry, you can add some milk or cream.  Put aside from 2 to 3 tablespoons of ricotta for decoration. Add the candied peel and chocolate chips to the sweetened ricotta and mix well.  Add the lemon rind and grated nutmeg and mix well again. Put the flan on a large, flat serving dish. Moisten the top of the flan with any liqueur of your choice.  Fill the flan with the ricotta mixture. Spread the extra ricotta on the edges of the flan and sprinkle the toasted nuts on it. Finally, decorate with the red and green candied cherries. Cool it in the fridge before serving.

Put the ground almonds, sugar, egg whites, essences and grated rind of a lemon in a large mixing bowl. Do not add too much almond essence because it will give the filling a bitter taste.  Mix the ingredients well together until you obtain a fairly dry paste. Preheat the oven 1900C, gas mark 5. Put the pastry on a lightly floured tabletop, roll it out and cut it into oblongs. Put some almond paste in the centre of each oblong.  Wrap the pastry around the filling and mould it into the traditional bone shape.  Tuck it neatly around, trimming off extra bits. Put the ‘bones’ on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown. Remove the ‘bones’ from the baking tray and leave them to cool. Cover them with white royal icing when they are completely cold.

Preheat the oven 2000C, gas mark 6. Lightly grease and dust with flour a baking dish having a 23cm diameter. Combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl.  Beat for about 10 minutes on the highest speed, until the mixture is white and thick. Use either an electric hand beater or else an electric mixer in order to have a really light sponge.  If you beat the eggs and sugar using a hand whisk, you will never have the same result. Sift the flour and, using a large metal spoon, lightly fold HALF of it into the mixture.Using a metal spoon, add the rest of the flour, half at a time, folding gently, in a figure of eight movement. Pour the mixture in the baking dish.Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the sponge is well-risen and feels firm to the touch.Allow the sponge to stand for 5 minutes before turning it on to a wire rack to cool.

Crush the cannoli shells, reserving 2 for garnishing later on. Mix in the melted butter and press the cannoli mix into the bottom of an 8 inch spring form pan lined with cling film using the back of a spoon to flatten. Chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the gelatin leaves into the juice of an orange and heat up in a saucepan or microwave to dissolve. Whisk ricotta till smooth and creamy then stir in the icing sugar, orange zest, chocolate chips and melted gelatin mixture. Next, whip the cream and gently fold in. Spread the mixture evenly on the cannoli base and allow to set and chill for at least 2 hours. When ready, remove from the cake tin and place onto a serving dish. Decorate the top with the reserved 2 crushed cannoli, orange zest, chocolate chips and pistachios.

Heat the oven at a temperature of between 160 and 180 degree. Grease 2 cake dishes of around 20cm diameter. Mix all ingredients excluding the water, the double cream and the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Mix well together by a hand blender till consistency is mixed well. Start adding the boiling water a bit by bit until consistency is well mixed and is runny. Add the mixture in the bowls and bake in oven for around 25-35 minutes till well cooked. Let cool down completely. For the icing, melt the chocolate bar in a small pot on low flame and add the double cream. When chocolate is melted remove from the heat and mix with a blender under consistency is slightly thicker. Let cool down completely for around 1 to 2 hours until well thick. Add a thick layer between the 2 cakes and cover the outside of both cakes with the mixture.