Boiled Fruit Cake

Preparation 30 Minutes

Cook 90 Minutes

Serves APPROX. 10

Method

  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.

Ingredients

500g Sunbeam Mixed Fruit

½ cup sherry or brandy

1 cup water

125g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 tablespoon boiling water

2 x eggs

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup plain flour

½ teaspoon mixed spice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

blanched almonds for decoration

Recipe Collection

Apple Pie with Raisins

Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).

  1.  Peel and core apples, cutting into eighths. Tossing in a saucepan with the lemon juice as they are prepared.

  2. Add the raisins, sugar, butter and cinnamon stick to the apples. Simmer, stirring often for 10 minutes until sugar has dissolved and apples are just tender. Set aside to cool.

  3. Press one of the pastry sheets into a lightly oiled round 22 x 5cm pie dish. Trimming edges where required. Brush edges with egg wash. Sprinkle the base with almond meal. Cut the second pastry sheet into 3cm wide strips.

  4.  Spoon cooled apple mixture into pie dish, discarding any excess liquid. Lay strips of pastry over the top of the apple mixture, to form a lattice pattern. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with almonds and the additional sugar. Bake for 35 minutes until pastry is golden. Serve warm with cream.

Sultana & Date Scones

Preheat oven to 220°C (210°C fan-forced).
Line scone tray with non-stick baking paper. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Add butter and rub in lightly with fingertips.
Add sugar, sultanas & dates and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Add beaten egg and almost all of the milk. Mix quickly with a flat bladed knife to a soft dough, adding more milk if necessary. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Press or roll out to form a round about 2cm thick.
Cut dough into rounds using a floured plain 5cm cutter. Place scones together, without touching, on prepared tray and brush with extra milk. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Panforte

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake pan.

    Place sugar, honey and chocolate in a large saucepan and gently heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in the raisins, figs, cherries, cranberries and nuts. Mix well.

    Add flour, cocoa and spices to mixture and working quickly mix it together until all combined. You may need to wear a thick rubber glove. Press mixture into prepared pan and bake for 13-15 minutes. Set aside to cool before removing from pan to cool completely.

Christmas Cheesecake

Preaheat oven 160 degrees (140 degrees fan).

  1. Brush base and sides of 25cm springform pan with butter.
  2. Process biscuits, extra melted butter and almond meal in a food processor until fine crumb. Press into base and sides of pan.
  3. Combine ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, cornflour, butter, eggs and vanilla bean paste in food processor. Blend for 2 mins then fold through sour cream and fruit.
  4. Pour filling over base, cover with foil and bake for 1.5 hours. Remove cake from oven, allow to come to room temperature before refrigerating overnight.

To make Toffee

  1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread nuts evenly over tray.
  2. Add sugar to a medium, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar completely dissolves then remove from heat immediately and pour over nuts.
  3. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes then allow to set. Serve cheesecake topped with shards of broken nut toffee.

Christmas Cake Gift Jar

As a gift idea

  1. Place flour in bottom of jar and add spices and bicarbonate of soda
  2. Pour in fruit and push down lightly
  3. Next place brown sugar and finish with slivered almonds.
  4. Attach a gift card with the following instructions:

YOU WILL NEED
250g butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup brandy

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven 150°C. Double line a 20cm round tin with baking paper
  2. Combine gift jar contents, butter, eggs and brandy and stir until combined
  3. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Christmas Bomb Alaska

Make a small approx 13cm base from Sunbeam fruit cake and set aside. (Match the base diameter to your mould base size)

Remove Ice-cream from the freezer & stand in the fridge for 20 min to soften; do not melt completely.

Line a tall dariole mould or similar with plastic wrap

Put the fruit mince in a large mixing bowl, add the softened ice-cream & gently stir to combine.

Return mould to the freezer & freeze for 5 hours or till firm.

Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.

Remove ice cream from mould, add ice cream to cake base and coat with meringue mix. Use a blow torch to toast. Serve Immediately.

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