Aussie Ice-cream Pudding

Boiled Fruit Cake

1. Soak fruit overnight in sherry or brandy
2. Place soaked fruit, water, butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil then remove from heat and add bicarbonate of soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water. Cool for 15 minutes.
3. Add lightly beaten eggs mixing thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours, spices and vanilla essence.
4. Place in a 20cm round or square cake tin. Decorate with almonds. Bake at 160°C for 75 to 90 minutes. Cool in tin.

Thermo cooker method:

1. Soak fruit overnight in sherry or brandy.
2. Place soaked fruit, water, butter, golden syrup and sugar into TM bowl and heat 7 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1.
3. Add bicarb soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water and gently stir through with the spatula – the mix will froth up but should not spill over.
4. Cool for 15 minutes in TM bowl.
5. Carefully add all remaining ingredients apart from the blanched almonds in the order listed and mix 10 sec/Reverse/speed 4.
6. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix 5 sec/Reverse/speed 4.
7. Place in a lined 20cm round or square cake tin. Decorate with almonds. Bake at 160ºC for 1¼ to 1½ hours. Cool in tin.

Apple & Sultana Crumble Cake

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 22cm spring form pan and line the base with baking paper.

2. Place butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

3. Add sour cream, followed by the flour, almond meal and spice. Mix until batter is smooth. Add sultanas, mixing in well. Spoon into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with diced apples.

4. For the crumble, combine oats, sugar and butter in a bowl and using fingertips, rub to combine so mixture resembles chunky breadcrumbs. Mix in the almonds. Sprinkle over apples and bake for 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Serve warm with custard or cream.

Sultana & Orange Friands

In a small saucepan heat the sultanas in orange juice, when the juice starts to bubble turn heat off and set aside to infuse.

Preheat oven to 180°C & Lightly grease a friand tin

Place egg whites in a medium bowl; whisk lightly with fork until combined. Add butter, milk, extract, ground almonds, orange rind, sifted icing sugar and flour; stir until combined.

Drain any excess liquid from sultanas and add to the mix & combine.

Pour mixture into pan; Bake friands 20 minutes; or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Stand friands 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

For the icing | In a bowl using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, light and fluffy. Use a piping bag to swirl icing across cooled friands, sprinkle with diced pistachios.

Dust the friands with sifted extra icing sugar & optional rose petals before serving.

Chocolate Puddings with Sherry Raisins

1. Pre-heat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Lightly grease 6 x ¾ cup capacity muffin pans. Place butter, sugar, raisins and sherry in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally until butter has melted. Allow to cool.

2. Mix eggs through raisin mixture and then fold in the flour, almond meal, cocoa and spice. Pour between prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing.

3. Use a small spatula to help remove puddings from pans and serve with custard and cream.

   
   Puddings can be made in advance and re-heated briefly in a microwave to warm through.

Gluten Free Cake

Preheat oven to 160°C

1. Grease and line a deep 23cm round cake tin with two layers of greased baking paper extending paper 5cm above rim
2. Place the mixed fruit, butter, whisky and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool until lukewarm. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift flour with the baking powder, spice and soda and stir into mixture with Sunbeam Almond Meal and stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake at 160°C for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in tin for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and cool before removing paper.

Chocolate Easter Nests

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C). Place almonds on a baking tray and cook for 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.

Line a tray with baking paper which will fit into the refrigerator. Combine the almonds and sultanas in a bowl.

Place the different chocolates into 3 separate heat proof bowls. Place over a saucepan of gently simmering water and mix until melted. Add ⅓ of the almond mixture to each bowl of chocolate and mix well.

Place spoonfuls of mixture onto lined trays and shape into a nest, using the back of the spoon to make an indent in the centre. Refrigerate for approx. 1 hour until set. Decorate with small easter eggs.