Golden Fruit Cake
Preparation 30MINS + 5-7 DAYS SOAKING TIME
Cook 3 – 3 1/2 HRS
Serves 20
Method
Combine fruit and 1/2 cup of brandy in a large bowl. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for 5-7 days, stirring each day.
Preheat oven to 150°C and grease a 22cm round deep cake tin. Line with three layers of brown paper, extending papers 5cm above rim
- Stir slivered almonds, pineapple and grated apple into fruit mixture. Set aside
- Beat butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add to fruit mixture and mix well.
- Stir sifted dry ingredients through the wet mix. Spread evenly into pan. Tap pan several times on bench to settle the mixture.
- Decorate with blanched almonds. Bake for 3-3 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave hot cake in the tin and wrap in foil, then a thick tea towel to cool overnight.
HINT: FOR AN EXTRA MOIST CAKE, PIERCE THE TOP OF THE CAKE ALL OVER WITH A FINE SKEWER AND SPOON A LITTLE EXTRA BRANDY OVER, BEFORE COOLING.
Ingredients
1kg Sunbeam Mixed Fruit
125g Sunbeam Raisins
125g Sunbeam Currants
1 cup Sunbeam Slivered Almonds
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 small Granny Smith Apple, grated
250g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
120g Sunbeam Blanched Almonds (to decorate)
Recipe Collection
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.
Christmas Casata
Soften 2 litres vanilla ice cream by leaving out of the freezer for 15 minutes while you chop, glacé cherries & Allens Raspberries.
Toast the slithered almonds in a dry pan till slightly brown, set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl add softened ice cream, start by stirring in the frozen raspberries to give ice cream raspberry ripples and colour. Then add all the remaining ingredients and stir till combined.
Choose a mould or tin to set the ice cream in and freeze for a minimum 4 hours to set.
Serve frozen.
Gingerbread Decorations
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Place butter, sugar and golden syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until creamy. Add egg and mix until well combined.
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Gently fold in the flour, almond meal and spices until a dough has formed. Shape into a flattened ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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Pre-heat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 5mm thickness. Using star and round shaped cutters, cut shapes and transfer to lined oven trays. Using a small piping nozzle, cut a hole in the top of each shape prior to baking. Re-roll the dough offcuts until all has been used.
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Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, decorate the biscuits with icing and currants. Thread lengths of ribbon through the holes and tie. Decorate your Christmas tree or give as gifts.
Alternative option: Prior to baking, press flaked almonds or slivered almonds into the dough and bake. Once cooked and cool, dust with icing sugar.
Sunbeam Banana Bread with Sultanas
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.
White Christmas
Melt chopped white vegetable shortening.
Combine rice bubbles, coconut, sifted icing sugar, powdered milk and chopped fruit, mix well.
Add melted shortening and mix thoroughly.
Press mixture into lightly greased and paper lined 28cm x 18cm x 7cm lamington tin.
Refrigerate until firm, cut into bars for serving.
Christmas Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, mixed spice and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in flour alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in Sunbeam sultanas.
Spoon mixture into paper cases until two-thirds full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes, before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing: beat cream cheese with icing mixture. Slowly fold melted and cooled chocolate.
Ice the cupcakes and decorate with mini gingerbread houses.
