Golden Fruit Cake

Preparation 30MINS + 5-7 DAYS SOAKING TIME

Cook 3 – 3 1/2 HRS

Serves 20

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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

  1. Stir slivered almonds, pineapple and grated apple into fruit mixture. Set aside
  2. 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.
  3. Stir sifted dry ingredients through the wet mix. Spread evenly into pan. Tap pan several times on bench to settle the mixture.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

Easy Florentines

Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan).Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine Corn Flakes, almonds, sultanas and cherries, mix well.Pour over the sweetened condensed milk and stir to coat. 

Place an egg ring onto prepared pan.Spoon the mixture into the egg ring, filling to the top and gently pressing down to compact.Remove egg ring and repeat, with remaining mixture, 6 biscuits on each tray.

Bake biscuits for 15 mins, swapping the trays around half way.Remove from oven and allow biscuits to cool completely on trays.

Melt the chocolate and brush onto the bases of each biscuit.Rest cookies on a baking rack, chocolate side up, to allow chocolate to set.

You will need a 7.5cm egg ring for this recipe

Couscous Dried Fruit Salad

Rinse the couscous under cold, running water.  Add to a saucepan with 750ml water, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 mins or until soft.  Drain and rinse under running water and set aside to cool completely.

Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, season and pour over the cooled couscous.  Toss to coat. 

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spoon into a presentation bowl to serve.

This salad can be served cold or at room temperature.

Moghrabieh can be substituted for Israeli (pearl) couscous.  Simply follow the cooking instructions on the packet as they can vary.

Apricot Balls

  1. Place apricots, sultanas and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  2. Place cooled fruit in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add oats and coconut. Remove to a bowl and roll teaspoonsful into balls and then roll in sesame seeds to coat. Refrigerate until required.

Notes:
Balls can also be rolled in coconut, chopped pepitas or chopped nuts.

Choc Sultana Hot Cross Bun

Preheat oven to 200°C

  1. Sieve plain flour and mixed spice. Rub butter into the flour until well incorporated and add dry yeast, castor sugar, sultanas, currants and chocolate dots. Add the milk and eggs and mix well. Place on a floured surface and gently knead dough for ten minutes until smooth and velvety. Cover and leave to rise for one hour or until mixture has doubled in size.
  2. Gently knead for 2 minutes then divide into 12. Gently knead into balls and shape into buns. Arrange in a greased baking tin and leave to rise again for 15 minutes.
  3. Combine ingredients for flour paste crosses and place in a piping bag. Pipe crosses onto buns.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 170°C and bake for a further 20 minutes.
  5. Turn onto a wire rack, serve hot with butter, if desired

Crispy Chocolate Puddings

  1. Lightly oil 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans. Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave proof bowl and heat on medium setting for 1 minute, stir well. Return to microwave in 10 second bursts if required to continue melting.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the rice bubbles, sultanas, walnuts and coconut. Mix well. Add melted chocolate and stir until all ingredients are well coated in chocolate. Spoon between prepared muffin pans, pressing mixture in firmly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Slide a small spatula down the side of each muffin cup to remove the chocolate pudding. Turn upside down and spoon on some melted chocolate to resemble custard. Decorate with sprinkles.

White Christmas Tree Bites

  1. Line the inside of 12 ice-cream cones with baking paper, using a stapler or sticky tape to secure paper.
  2. Place white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (ensuring bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir until the chocolate has melted and is smooth. Remove from heat.
  3. Allow to cool then add all the other ingredients and stir to coat. Spoon into the prepared lined cones Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set before serving.
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