Sunbeam Traditional Fruit Cake

Preparation 30 mins plus overnight soaking

Cook 3 hours

Serves 12

Method

You will need a 21cm round tin for this recipe (base measurement)

  1. Soak fruit overnight in brandy, if you warm the brandy it infuses faster and you can soak for a few hours instead of overnight.
  2. Place soaked fruit, water, butter, maple 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. Add lightly beaten eggs, mixing thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours, spices and vanilla essence.
  3. Preheat oven to 160ºC. We used a 21cm bundt tin. Spoon batter into the prepared tin, using a spatula to smooth the surface. Bake for up to 75 to 90 minutes 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 cooling rake to remove. Allow to cool completely.

TIP: Liquor can be substituted with flavoured syrup or orange juice.

Optional cinnamon burnt buttercream:  Heat 500g butter in a large frypan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a deep golden colour.  Pour the butter and milk solids into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate until hard.  Remove burnt butter from fridge for 1 hour to soften then add 250g of the butter to a stand mixer and beat for 4-5 mins until creamy.  Add 320g sifted icing sugar mixture, ½ tsp ground cinnamon and 2 tbsp milk and beat for a further 6 mins or until light and fluffy.

Ingredients

500g Sunbeam Bake Fruit Blend for Cake

1 cup brandy

1 cup water

125g butter

2 tbsp S&W Maple syrup

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp boiling water

2 x eggs

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup plain flour

½ tsp mixed spice

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla essence

Recipe Collection

Spiced Lamb in Lettuce Cups

  1. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic, cooking for several minutes until tender. Add spices, cooking a further minute. Increase heat and add lamb mince, cooking until well browned.
  2. Add dates, pomegranate molasses, herbs and pinenuts. Mix well and season to taste.
  3. Spoon mixture between prepared lettuce cups. Drizzle with yoghurt and lemon juice, finishing with additional mint leaves.

Sunbeam Banana Bread with Sultanas

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 15cm x 25cm loaf pan; line base with baking paper.
Beat butter and sugar in small bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl; using wooden spoon, stir in sifted dry ingredients, banana, sultanas and milk. Spread mixture into pan
Bake cake about 50 minutes. Stand cake 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

Toast & enjoy!

Note | You need 2 large overripe bananas for this recipe because they mash easily and are the most flavourful. The third banana cut in half and lay over mix before baking. We sprinkled a 1tbsp brown sugar over mix too.

Fruit & Nut Biscotti

Heat oven to 180 degrees C. Generously butter or spray bottom and sides of loaf pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir flour, nuts, sultanas, flax seeds, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir in milk. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 50 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack. Transfer to freezer and freeze at least 1 hour, but no more than 3 hours.

Heat oven to 200 degrees c. Remove loaf from pan. Use sharp serrated knife to cut loaf into 1/8-inch thick slices. Arrange slices in single layer on rimmed baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes until golden brown, flipping halfway through baking. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Store at room temperature in airtight container up to 1 week.

Gingerbread Almond Wreath

  1. Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Lightly grease and line a 22cm ring tin.

  2. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

  3. Stir in the almond meal, coconut, bi-carb and spices. Mix well, then stir in the currants and sultanas. Pour into prepared pan and scatter the top with flaked almonds. Bake for 55-60 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

  4. Serve on a platter surrounded by fresh rosemary sprigs and fill the cavity with raspberries.

Sultana & Cinnamon Mini cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
Line two 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans with paper cases. Combine flour, brown sugar, oats and Sunbeam sultanas in medium bowl.
Whisk milk, vegetable oil and egg in small bowl, stir into dry ingredients (do not overmix, mixture should be lumpy).
Divide mixture into paper cases. Bake about 15 minutes, turn, top-side up, onto wire rack. Combine caster sugar with cinnamon, sprinkle over hot muffins.
For the Icing: beat butter till white and fluffy add sugar then milk slowly till the perfect texture, fill into piping bag and decorate with grated chocolate & mini easter eggs.

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.

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