As the party season draws nearer, it's time to stock up on some sweets that will impress friends, delight your family and draw the compliments. Pauline D. Loh shows you how.

The first snow in Beijing this year is fluttering down and coating the evergreen firs lining our driveway even as I write. It gives our campus a Christmas setting that almost makes us oblivious to the bone-chilling temperatures that have now firmly settled in.

Somehow the snow makes us forget, and we can look forward to the warmth of Christmas and New Year.

I have gingerbread baking in the oven, to be iced later for our tree and to be made into gingerbread boys and girls for the children. But this year, I am also making some sweets for the adults, as well as the kids.

First on my list is a chocolate bark using good chocolate and candied ginger. The cold weather is ideal as it firms up the bark really quickly and it's a cinch to make. Later, as we munch on the bark, the gingery heat will warm our insides.

Using the same melted chocolate, it's also time to make use of the beautifully ripe Sichuan strawberries for some fruit lollies. Chocolate-coated strawberries are always a favorite at parties, especially if you pop them into the freezer beforehand so the fruits taste like sherbets and the coating is crisp and brittle.

Then, I'm making mandarin orange cakes that will make use of the glut of little citrus fruits that now floods the market. I bought a bag the other day for less than 10 yuan ($1.57). They are juicy, sweet and seedless.

You can also make candied peel from the skin, to be scattered over salads or as a topping for the cupcakes.

Because we have many young children among our expatriate staff, I am also making little fairy cupcakes topped with sugar gum flowers.

The cakes themselves are made from a basic batter that has tea-infused raisins added into the mixture. It's lighter than the heavy fruitcakes, and soaking the dried fruit in tea plumps them up and takes away a little of the sugar.

Make a pile of these little cupcakes and they'll create an unforgettable centerpiece, especially appreciated by the younger ones. I made a special batch the other day and sent it to a little girl and in return, I'll probably get a little art masterpiece that I can pin up on my office wall.

But it's things like that which warm the heart and soul, and prepare us for a season of peace, goodwill and understanding.

Recipe: Royal icing

Ingredients:

500 g icing sugar, sifted

3 egg whites

2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Place icing sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl. Beat on medium heat to combine, then switch to high speed and beat for 8 to 10 minutes until icing turns fluffy and very glossy.

2. Add lemon juice and continue to beat another 2-3 minutes.

3. Frost cupcakes and cover cake surface completely. This will preserve the cakes a little longer. Top with your choice of decorations.

Recipe: Chocolate ginger bark

Ingredients:

500 g dark chocolate (70 percent chocolate)

200 g candied ginger

2 tbsp coarse granulated sugar

Grease-proof paper

Method:

1. Chop up the chocolate and place in a metal or glass mixing bowl.

2. Chop up the candied ginger, and sprinkle along the length of the grease-proof paper.

3. Heat up a pot of water and place the mixing bowl on top, taking care not to let the bottom touch the water surface. Stir until chocolate melts.

4. Using a spoon, dribble the chocolate along the strip of chopped ginger, taking care to cover the ginger completely. Sprinkle with sugar.

5. Allow to cool, then break into shards. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

Food notes:

I used Valrhona dark chocolate that I got from a specialist supplier online, but you can easily make this from the dark chocolate bars you can buy from the candy counters. But remember to buy the ones that have chocolate content that is at least 70 percent. The one thing you have to remember is that the chocolate must be melted on indirect heat and not allow it to touch fire or the boiling water. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds on high until it is melted when you stir with a spoon.

Recipe: Chocolate-Covered strawberries

Ingredients:

500 g dark chocolate (70 percent chocolate)

1 punnet/box strawberries

Cocktail sticks

2 apples and aluminum foil

Method:

1. Chop up the chocolate and place in a metal or glass mixing bowl.

2. Clean each strawberry with a damp cloth and spear each with a cocktail stick, from the hull.

3. Wrap each apple with foil, with a little extra foil pooling at the bottom. Push down on the extra foil so the apples sit securely on the counter-top.

4. Heat up a pot of water and place the mixing bowl on top, taking care not to let the bottom touch the water surface. Stir until chocolate melts.

5. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate, give it a twirl to get rid of drips and then poke it into an apple. Repeat until you have used up all the chocolate and strawberries.

6. Chill well and remove from fridge when you are ready to serve. Any extra can be frozen.

Food notes:

You can also dip other fruits and nuts in chocolate, such as little kumquats, mango cubes, walnut halves and pecans. Just remember that the juicier fruits are best eaten immediately.

Recipe: Mandarin cupcakes with candied peel

Ingredients:

6 medium mandarin oranges

250 g butter

250 g soft brown sugar

200 g all-purpose flour

50 g whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 cup sugar extra

Method:

1. Scrub the mandarin oranges well.

2. Place four oranges into a pot of water and boil them until the fruits are soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly, and cut them into halves, removing any seeds. Blend to a puree.

3. Peel the remaining two oranges and shave off any thick pith. Cut the peel into strips. Reserve.

4. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and add eggs one by one.

5. Sift the flour, whole wheat flour and baking powder together and fold into the butter mixture.

6. Fold in the mandarin orange puree and spoon the cake mixture into paper cases, 2/3 full.

7. Bake in a pre-heated 180 C oven for 20 minutes or until the cake surface bounces back when pressed.

8. While the cake is baking, prepare the candied peel and glaze. Boil the one cup sugar with 3/4 cup water and add the strips of peel. When the syrup is thickened, remove the strips of peel onto grease-proof paper. Spread out to cool. The remaining syrup in the pot is your sugar glaze.

9. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool. Spread a spoonful of glaze on top of each cake and top with strips of candied peel.

Food notes:

This is a lovely lot of cupcakes that disappeared almost as soon as I offered them. The tangy mandarin puree moistens the cake and the candied strips of peel gives it a festive touch - since candied peel is a traditional Spring Festival tidbit in the south of China.

Recipe: Iced raisin cupcakes

Ingredients:

200 g all-purpose flour

200 g castor sugar

200 g unsalted butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp vanilla essence

5 eggs

200 g raisins, soaked in tea

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and add eggs one by one.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the butter mixture.

3. Fold in the vanilla essence and raisins, and spoon the cake mixture into paper cases, 2/3 full.

4. Bake in a pre-heated 180 C oven for 20 minutes or until the cake surface bounces back when pressed.

5. Cool the cupcakes, ice and top with gum paste flowers, gummy bears or sugar balls.