Hot Cross Bun Loaf

Decadent Christmas Cake

1. Pre-heat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). Lightly grease and line a deep 20cm cake pan with three layers of baking paper. Combine mixed fruit, raisins, and sultanas in a large saucepan. Add water and port, mix through. Place over a low heat for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed and fruit softened. Set aside to cool.

2. Using electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until all incorporated. Fold in flours and spices.

3. Remove from mixing stand and fold in the fruit mixture with a large spoon. Mixing until well combined. Spoon batter into prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Decorate with almonds bake for 2 hours 30 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Brush the top with jam whilst the cake is still warm.

Rainbow Couscous & Sultana Salad

In a small saucepan, bring water and salt just to the boil. Add couscous and stir once. Cover pan, remove from heat and set aside 10 mins, until water is absorbed.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.

Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Add sultanas, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, and onions, and tosswell.

Drizzle salad with half of the dressing and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle salad withwalnuts and feta. Serve with remaining dressing.

Tips

• Store salad in a covered container in the fridge, for up to three days.
• Couscous can be substituted with cooked and cooled quinoa, if preferred

Walnut Sultana Zucchini Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan).  Grease and line base and sides of two x 22.5cm (9”) round baking tins. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with beater attachment, combine zucchini, carrot, flour, sugar, 50g of walnuts, sultanas and spices.  Mix on low until just combined.

Whisk together oil and eggs then add to the zucchini mixture and beat on low until just combined.  Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins, smoothing the surfaces.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.  Allow the cakes to cool in tins for an hour, then invert onto a baking rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment.  Whisk until smooth.  Add sifted icing sugar and whisk until smooth and fluffy.

To decorate, spread half the icing on top of one cake.  Arrange the second cake on top and spread with remaining icing.  Sprinkle with chopped walnuts to decorate.

Almond Sultana Florentines

Preheat oven to 160°C.

1. Combine butter and condensed milk in a small bowl.
2. Mix together almonds, coconut, cherries and sultanas until evenly distributed and pour over butter mixture and quickly mix with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together.
3. Place tablespoons of the mixture onto baking paper lined oven trays, flattening and shaping into 3cm rounds, allow at least 3cm between biscuits for spreading. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on trays and transfer to wire racks. (If baking in a slice pan, press mixture to approximately 1cm thick and bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool. Top with melted chocolate and leave to set. Slice to serve.)
4. When cool spread the base of each biscuit with a teaspoon of chocolate and leave to set. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Tip: Use damp fingers to shape and flatten biscuits.

Mini White Choc Puddings

1. Sift flours, mix in breadcrumbs, cranberries, currants, pistachios, chocolate and rind.
2. Cream butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, pour in condensed milk and vanilla beating continuously. Beat in eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
3. Make a well in the centre of the breadcrumb mixture and pour in butter mixture, mixing well to combine.
4. Prepare 8 mini pudding basins (200ml capacity): Cut 8 baking paper circles fitting the top, 8 circles fitting the bottom of the pudding basins and 8 circles 6cm larger than the basins. Grease well and insert a paper circle into the bottom of each basin.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared ¾ cup basins, smooth and top with a paper round. Take the 6cm round and fold a 1cm pleat in the centre. Tightly secure with kitchen string approximately 1 – 2cm below the pudding top.
6. Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan and arrange puddings on top. Add enough boiling water to fill halfway up pudding basins. Cover and steam for 1 hour, replenish water when needed. Remove from water, stand for 10 minutes before carefully turning out. Serve with caramel brandy sauce.

Caramel brandy sauce

1. Place sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, golden syrup and butter in a medium saucepan, cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until mixture begins to change to a caramelise. Remove from heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Pour in brandy and cream, mix well.

Tip: These puddings can also be steamed in the microwave. Ensure your moulds are microwave safe, cook in microwave on defrost setting for 20 minutes, check if a skewer inserted into pudding comes out clean. If not cooked, microwave at 5 minute intervals, until skewer comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out.

Panforte

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake pan.
2. 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.
3. 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.