Last Minute Christmas Cake
Preparation 40 MINS + overnight cooling
Cook SET TIME:2 1/2 HOURS
Serves 16
Method
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir over the heat for 3-4 mins until combined.
Add dried fruit, bicarbonate of soda, rum, cognac and 125ml water and stir well to combine. Increase heat to high and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium then cook for a further 4 mins without stirring. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to cool overnight.
Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan). Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin.
Add eggs to the cooled mixture and stir. Add flour and spices and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 mins before spooning into the prepared tin and smoothing the surface.
Decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds then bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check your cake every hour to ensure it is not browning too quickly on top. If it is, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before inverting to remove. To serve, brush with a little apricot jam that has been warmed in the microwave.
This cake can be stored for up to 3 months in the fridge – cover the cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and foil.
Ingredients
300g unsalted butter
420g dark brown sugar
3 x 375g Sunbeam Mixed Fruit
2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
250ml dark rum
125ml cognac
4 eggs, lightly whisked
400g wholemeal plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
200g Sunbeam Blanched Almonds
Apricot jam, to serve
Recipe Collection
Christmas Cake Friands (GF)
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans.
- Place fruit and brandy in a microwave proof dish and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
- Sift icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in the almond meal and flour.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Mix in the butter and add to the icing sugar mixture. Stirring until well combined.
- Pour mixture between prepared moulds and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack.
- For icing, combine icing sugar and water mixing until smooth. Allow to sit until desired consistency is achieved. Spoon over each cake and finish with lemon rind and raspberries.
Pavlova Trifle with soaked Natural Sultanas
- To make the Rum Custard: Soak Sunbeam Sultanas in the rum for 1-2 hours. Place milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger into a saucepan over low-medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer but below boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, removing the cinnamon and ginger pieces.
- In a large bowl whisk together egg yolks and corn starch. Then, while whisking slowly mix in a ladle of the warm milk to temper the eggs. Continue doing this until you have mixed all the warm milk in. Clean out the saucepan and add the custard mixture back in. Heat over low heat for 20 minutes, whisking constantly, until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and stir through the rum-soaked Sultanas.
- Pour into a heat safe bowl and let cool on the counter. Then, refrigerate until cold.
- To make the Candied Pistachios: Add the sugar and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add pistachios, salt and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes, or until the syrup coats the pistachios and is very thick. Place pistachios onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and allow to cool and set. Let cool completely before chopping and using.
- Pour into a clean bowl the thickened cream. Add in the vanilla essence and whisk until soft peaks forms.
- To assemble Trifle: in a large glass serving dish, layer custard, chunks of pavlova, spiced rum custard, whipped cream, honey candied chopped pistachios, strawberries and raspberries. Repeat this until your trifle bowl is full.
- Garnish with fresh raspberries, strawberries, cream and honey candied chopped pistachios.
Serve and enjoy.
Handmade Chocolate Bars
- Line the base and sides of 2, 10 x 20cm loaf pans, or 4, 6 x 12cm mini loaf pans.
- For topping choice Rum ‘n Raisin, combine raisins, rum and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside until required.
- Place chocolate in a glass bowl and heat in the microwave in 30 second increments until half chocolate is melted. Stir chocolate constantly until all the chocolate is melted.
- Pour chocolate evenly between pans and whilst still in melted form, working quickly, decorate with preferred toppings. Allow to set at room temperature and store in an airtight container when set. Wrap and give away as gifts.
Toasted Almond & Blueberry Salad
- Toast almonds in a pan on medium heat then set aside.
- Wash berries and slice strawberries into halves.
- Crumble blue cheese and combine salad ingredients together.
- Combine dressing ingredients and blend until smooth, pour over salad when serving.
Gingerbread Granola
Preheat the oven to 180℃.
In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon until all well combined.
Spread the mixture across 2 large baking trays lined with baking paper. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing the granola after 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow granola to cool completely before storing in airtight containers, or jars.
Notes
Granola will store in an airtight container or jar for up to 2 weeks.
Fruit Mix Ice-cream Bombs
Remove Ice-cream from the freezer & stand in the fridge for 20 min to soften; do not melt completely.
Line 6 x 180ml dariole moulds or similar with plastic wrap. Put the fruit mince, sherry and almonds in a large mixing bowl, add the softened ice-cream & gently stir to combine.
Spoon the ice-cream mix into each pre-pared mould.
Return moulds to the freezer & freeze for 5 hours or till firm.
Put the sugar & egg whites in small bowl, beat until soft peaks form. Approx 10 min
Turn out the ice-cream moulds, invert onto tray,
Spoon or pipe meringue onto each ice-cream mould.
Blow torch to brown meringue or bake at 220C for 5 min
