The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.
-Isaiah 9:2 NIV
From candles in Victorian windows, to the spreading candlelight during the singing of Silent Night on Christmas Eve, to the electric evocations of candlelight in our residential light displays, candles and their subtle, flickering pinpoints of light dominate the Christmas season.
The association is a straightforward one. The era of Jesus’ birth, for the people of Israel and the land of Judea, was punctuated with darkness. Rome had recently transitioned from republic to empire, behind the brutal and cunning machinations of Octavian, or ‘Caesar Augustus.’ Though credited with initiating the Pax Romana, life under Augustus’ rule could be anything but peaceful. In Judea, “Herod the Great” ruled as a tyrannical, Roman-installed “King of the Jews.” It was also an era of divine silence in which no prophets had been raised up to speak on behalf of God to his people for 400 years. As the Gospel narratives attest, this was an age in which the Jewish people suffered under oppression and longed for messianic deliverance.
The birth of Jesus, in a lowly stable in a backwater Judean town, was a flicker of light coming to life within this dark world. In the thickest darkness even a single candle can be unimaginably bright. And, like the tiny mustard seed that grows into a mighty plant (Matthew 13:21-22), the light of Christ has and continues to illuminate our world, eradicating darkness and bringing hope and salvation.
This simple yet stunning dessert offers you the opportunity to discuss with your guests what areas in your lives, and in the world in general, are shrouded in darkness, as well as what light and hope Jesus can bring. Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’ birth offers the opportunity for our hope to be renewed, for our eyes to be lifted to reality that, in spite of the pain and hardship that surround us, light and life will prevail. We can live with hope.
This dish also intentionally evokes the candles of a traditional advent wreath. Four candles, representing peace, hope, joy, and love, adorn the outside of the wreath, and many feature a fifth ‘Christ candle,’ lit on Christmas Eve, in the center. Three of the four outer candles on a traditional wreath are purple or violet, hence the color of our berry cheesecake edible candle.
The color purple has long been associated with kingship and royalty, and it was one of the featured colors of Israel’s Tabernacle and priestly garments. In ancient times it also marked someone’s wealth, as purple dye was rare and expensive. These are reminders, in turn, of Jesus’ role as both King (Divine Lord and Ruler) and Priest (the only Mediator between God and man), and his abundant riches—he is the rightful owner of all creation and the one who lavishes spiritual blessings upon his people.
Here’s a conversation guide with four thought-provoking questions based on your story, designed to inspire meaningful reflection and discussion:
1. Recognizing Darkness
The people of Judea lived in an era of oppression, tyranny, and divine silence. Jesus’ birth brought light into this darkness.
• In what ways do you see “darkness” in our world today?
• Are there areas in your own life where you long for light or hope to shine through?
2. The Impact of a Small Light
Even a single candle can illuminate profound darkness. Jesus’ arrival, though humble, began a transformation that continues today.
• Have you experienced moments when a seemingly small act of kindness, hope, or faith made a significant difference in your life?
• How can we, as individuals, be “candles” in the lives of others or in the communities around us?
3. The Significance of Hope
Advent candles represent peace, hope, joy, and love, with the Christ candle as the centerpiece. These virtues are central to the Christmas story.
• Which of these (peace, hope, joy, or love) do you feel most in need of this season?
• How can the light of Christ renew your hope in the midst of personal or global challenges?
4. Christ as King and Priest
The color purple reminds us of Jesus’ kingship and priesthood, roles that bring both divine authority and personal mediation.
• What does it mean to you that Jesus is both a King who rules and a Priest who intercedes?
• How does reflecting on Jesus’ royalty and sacrifice affect your understanding of Christmas and its significance for your life?
This guide is structured to foster deep personal reflection and encourage authentic conversations about faith, hope, and the light of Christ in our lives and the world.
Edible Advent Candle Recipe.
This edible advent candle is designed to look like a real candle. It has 4 parts:
A lemon cheesecake.
A graham wafer and ginger snap cookie base.
A warm mulled plum and blueberry purée.
A transparent blueberry tuile cylinder (a tuile is a moldable fruit cracker) that slips over the cheesecake and is melted to form the sides and melted rim of the candle.
Lemon Cheesecake
Make at least 1 day ahead as the cheesecakes need to be frozen.
Ingredients:
1kg (4 -250kg blocks) of full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 large eggs, room temperature 2 egg yolks, room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
12 Paper muffin cups. One large muffin tray.
Preheat oven to 300ºF
Prepare a water bath by heating 5-6 cups of water to a simmer. You will need enough hot water to fill 3/4 of a pan large enough to set the muffin tin of cheesecakes in.
In a stand mixer, mix the room-temperature cream cheese until creamy. Mix in the sugar, lemon juice salt, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, separate 2 eggs and mix in 2 egg yolks with the 2 whole eggs. Mix well with a fork. With the stand mixer on low, slowly add the eggs to the cream cheese until fully combined.
Using a silicone muffin tray, evenly distribute the cheesecake batter into the muffin trays. You can use a silicone tray or use paper muffin cups as it’s difficult to get the cheesecake out of the tray after it’s baked.
Place the cheesecake tray in another open tray and fill the bottom of the tray with simmering water 3/4 up the side of the muffin tray. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 300F preheated oven for 15 - 20 min until the cheesecake has just set.
Remove from the oven and let it cool.
Then place the cheesecakes in the freezer until frozen.
I find that they are easiest to get out of the silicone or paper muffin cups when they are frozen.
2. Graham Wafer Cookie:
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant oats)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon candied ginger, finely chopped
½ cup salted butter melted and slightly cooled
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Mix the above dry ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter. Stir well to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. It should feel like wet sand.
Put half on to a parchment lined baking tray. Press down with your hand. Then roll with a rolling pin to 1/8” or 3 mm thick.
Bake in the 350ºF preheated oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Bake until the sugar is caramelized and the edges are slightly browned.
After removing from the oven while it’s still hot use a round cutter the same size as the larger muffin tin to cut out as many bases as you can. Don’t worry about cutting all the way through. You can gently break them apart the rest of the way once it fully cools.
Store the cooled graham wafer crust bases in an airtight container until ready to serve.
3. Blueberry Tuile
750 ml of Cran-Blueberry juice. (You could also use grape juice or red wine)
150 grams of fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cinnamon stick
Bring the blueberries, juice and cinnamon stick to a simmer. Let it simmer for 15 min.
Set aside to cool.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
Blend the blueberries with a blender or immersion blender.
Strain with a fine mesh strainer. Discard and remaining solids. reserving the juice.
Using a digital kitchen scale, measure the reserved juice. Top it up to 750ml with juice or red wine.
Then mix in the following:
60 grams sugar
60 grams cornstarch mixed (the juice needs to be cool when you add the cornstarch or it will become lumpy)
60 grams light corn syrup
Bring the juice and cornstarch mixture to a simmer on medium low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, about 8-10 min. It’s critical to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot constantly or it will get lumpy and burn on the bottom, spoiling the mixture.
Once it is thick paste. take it off the heat.
Put the pot into an ice bath and let it cool completely. About 30 min in an ice bath.
Preheat the oven to 200ºF with the convection fan on low.
Using a thin (2.5mm or 1/16”) flexible plastic cutting board a cereal box or other thin yet stiff, non-corrugated cardboard. Create a stencil the circumference plus 1/2” or 12mm longer than the diameter of your pop/soup cans and 2.5 x times the height of your muffin tin. If your muffin tin is 1 1/2” tall then make the height of your stencil 3 1/2” tall.
Once the tuile mixture is cold. Push it through a fine meshed Tamis/strainer to remove any lumps.
Place a silicone mat on a cookie sheet. A silicone mat is essential for this; parchment paper will not work.
Using a plastic scraper, an off-set spatula or the smooth edge of a pie lifter, smear the cooled and sifted tuile paste into the rectangle cut out. Spread it evenly, overlapping the edge of the spatula with the edge of the template. One smooth smear should remove any excess tuile paste leaving an even layer of paste as you carefully lift and remove the template.
Make one tuile per person. You will need to make these in batches.
Bake for 30 min or until the tuile is dry to touch not sticky and can be easily removed from the silicone baking mat.
While the tuile is in the oven, prepare 12 Pop cans (empty or full is ok) to be used as a mold. Be sure the pop cans are clean and rub a little neutral tasting oil on the sides of each can so the tuile will not stick to it.
To form the cylinder tuile, lift one short edge of the tuile away from the silicone mat. It should be dry to the touch, not sticky and come up in one piece.
Roll the tuile onto the can, pressing down to stick the overlap against the can so it becomes one complete cylinder wrapped around the can.
Let it cool and set on the can until you are ready to plate.
Making the blueberry tuile.
4. Mulled Blueberry Plum Sauce
750 grams of plums. Washed, pits removed, and chopped
240 grams or 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Mulling spices: Use some cheesecloth and kitchen string to make a pouch of mulling spices:
1 “ knob of ginger - peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise star or 1 pinch of ground star anise
4 cardamom pods, crushed - 1 pinch ground cardamom
5 whole cloves - 1 pinch of ground cloves
1 strip of lemon peel, pith removed
1 strip of orange peel, pith removed.
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
Simmer on medium low heat for 40 min stirring occasionally.
Remove the mulling spices.
Blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.
Plating:
Place the round graham wafer cookie on the plate.
Pop the frozen cheesecakes out of the silicone or parchment muffin cups and place on the graham wafer cookie.
Make sure the blueberry tuile sleeve fits over the cheesecake. If not use a ring cutter to trim it down. The tuile should easily slide off of the can providing you have enough oil on the can.
Slip the blueberry tuile over the cheesecake and cookie.
Push a birthday candle into the cheesecake with a half inch above the top of the cheesecake. You may need to cut the length of the candle to be the right size.
Carefully top the cheesecake with the warm mulled plum sauce. Be careful that you don’t get the candle wick wet or it will not light.
Using a culinary torch or heat gun lightly melt the top of the blueberry tuile so it folds in on itself creating a melted rim.
Light the candle and serve, it’s best served in the dark. You will need to blow out and remove the candle before eating the cheese cake.
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