Home / Recipes / Sunbeam Spiced Christmas Cake

Sunbeam Spiced Christmas Cake

Preparation 15 MINS + Overnight soaking

Cook 2 1/2 HOURS

Serves 20

Method
Ingredients

Method

In a large bowl, combine mixed fruit, cherries, nuts, apple, golden syrup and liquor. Mix well, cover and allow to stand overnight (or up to 24 hours for amazing flavour).

Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan forced). Very generously grease the bundt tin, ensuring butter is in all creases.

Add sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Beat until fluffy and pale. With the motor running, add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated before adding the next.

Add flour and spices, beat on low until just combined. Add orange zest and soaked fruit mixture and beat until just combined.

In a small bowl mix together orange juice and bicarbonate of soda, add to the cake batter and beat until just incorporated.

Spoon batter into the prepared bundt tin, using a spatula to press mixture into any crevices and flatten the surface.

Bake for 2 ¼ to 2 ½ hours or until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the centre. Allow cake to cool in the tin for an hour then invert onto a baking rack to remove and allow to cool completely.

Ingredients

1kg Sunbeam Mixed Fruit

150g Sunbeam Glacé Cherries

70g Sunbeam Walnuts

70g Sunbeam Blanched Almonds, roughly chopped

1 apple, grated (peeled and core removed)

3 tbsp golden syrup

250ml Cointreau or brandy

275g brown sugar

250g butter, softened to room temperature, plus extra to grease tin

4 eggs

450g plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tbsp finely grated orange zest

60ml orange juice

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Recipe Collection

Sunshine Pudding

Prepare a 2 litre pudding basin – grease well and double line base with baking paper circles.

Combine raisins, sultanas, cherries and Cointreau in a bowl and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
Place apricots, apricot nectar, orange juice and rind in a small saucepan and simmer covered for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and puree.
Cream butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Sift flours into a large bowl, add butter cake crumbs, macadamias, soaked fruit, pureed apricots and butter mixture and mix well to combine. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth the top. Top with baking paper round.
Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and foil, layer and make a 3cm pleat in the middle of the sheets. Place onto pudding basin and secure with kitchen string.
Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, a third filled with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place pudding onto rack, making sure the water comes about halfway up basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, topping up water when needed. Remove from saucepan and stand for 10 minutes before turning out.
Serve with cream, custard or ice-cream if desired.

Candied nuts decoration:

Place sugar and water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and gently boil until the toffee begins to change colour. Do not stir toffee once it has boiled.
Working quickly, drop macadamias one at a time into the toffee and toss with a fork to coat, remove and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining macadamias.
Decorate the top of the pudding and serve.

Apple, Pear & Sunmuscat Filo Tart

Preheat oven to 200ºC (fan forced 180ºC). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Combine all nuts, sunmuscats, breadcrumbs and cinnamon, toss to combine then drizzle over the maple syrup and mix well. Reserve 1/3 cup of this mixture.

Lay 1 sheet of filo onto prepared tray. Brush evenly with melted butter, sprinkle over ¼ of the nut mixture. Brush a second sheet with butter and arrange on top, repeat with another ¼ of the nut mixture. Repeat twice more, so you have 4 layers of brushed filo and nut mixture, then brush remaining filo sheet with butter and place on top.

Arrange apple and pear slices on top, brush with remaining butter then sprinkle over reserved nut mixture and coconut sugar.

Bake for 25-30 mins until pastry is golden. Cut into slices and serve with rocket.

Mini Bombe Alaskas

Line 6 x 180ml dariole moulds (or 6 x 180ml capacity small dishes) with plastic wrap.*

Place icecream into a large bowl and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 mins, or until soft (do not allow to completely melt). Add fruit, nuts and sherry and use a spatula to mix well.

Spoon the mixture evenly between the prepared moulds and freeze overnight or until firm.

Slice the madeira cake horizontally into three big slices, about 2cm thick. Use a cookie cutter (just bigger than the bases of the icecream moulds) to cut 6 rounds from the cake slices.

To make the meringue, combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form.

One at a time, carefully remove an icecream from the mould and place on top of a cake round. Working quickly, smooth meringue around the cake and icecream to completely cover then blowtorch until golden. Serve and repeat with remaining prepared icecreams.

Carrot, Walnut & Raisin Cake

Preheat oven to 180℃.

Grate young fresh carrots to give one full cup & strain the juice from 440g can of crushed pineapple.

In a bowl mix 1 cup of plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp bicarb soda, 1/2 tsp each of salt & cinnamon & 3/4 cup caster sugar. Add 2 eggs and 5 Tbsp oil (just under 1/3 cup).

Sir in the grated carrot, crushed pineapple & 1/4 cup Sunbeam walnuts, chopped. Bake in a moderate oven 175 oC for 40 – 45 minutes and cool before covering with topping. (Note: We slightly froze the cake to make firm to slice into layers to add frosting in between)

To make cream cheese topping, place in a bowl butter, cream cheese, vanilla, icing sugar and beat very well. If too thick add a small amount of milk to give a smooth consistency.

Jewelled Rice

To prep: place the Sunmuscat sultanas and cranberries into a bowl and cover with water. Let sit and rehydrate for 10-15 minutes. Then drain.

Place the saffron threads into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of hot water and allow to sit and steep.

Melt 1 ½ tablespoons of the ghee into a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook, stirring for 10 minutes, until the onion is well caramelised. Remove half of the onion and set aside – this will be used for garnishing. Add half of the soaked sunmuscats and cranberries, the rice, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin. Continue cooking and stirring, until the rice is well coated in the oil and spices, about 1 minute. Add in 3 cups of boiling water and the salt. Stir everything together, then bring to the boil. Cover and turn heat down to low and cook, without disturbing for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit, untouched, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat another medium frying pan over medium heat. Add in the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of ghee, the almonds and cashews. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until the nuts are golden brown. Be careful not to burn! Set aside for serving.

Uncover the rice, drizzle over the saffron water and toss the rice just a little so half of the rice turns golden. Transfer to a large serving plate, then garnish with the ghee-toasted nuts, the remaining sunmuscats and currants and caramelised onion. Sprinkle over the coriander and dill, to finish.