Hummingbird Christmas Cake
Preparation 20 Minutes
Cook 35 Minutes
Serves 8
Method
Preheat 170ºC (150ºC fan). Grease and line 2 x 17cm round cake tins.
Combine flour, sugar, coconut, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add fruit and vegetables, lime zest, nuts, Angas Park Fruit Medley, oil, eggs and salt, stirring until combined. Divide evenly among the two pans then bake for 35 mins. Allow to cool completely in tins before turning out.
To make icing, in a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer) beat together the cream cheese, butter, coconut essence and lime juice, then, with motor running, gradually add icing sugar 1 tbsp at a time until fully incorporated.
To assemble, spread icing onto the top of one cake, top with the second cake and spread icing on top. Arrange flowers, Angas Park Fruit Salad and extra cashews on top, to decorate.
Ingredients
200g self-raising flour
150g caster sugar
65g desiccated coconut
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
330g crushed pineapple in natural juice
1 small banana, mashed
1 small carrot, grated
150g roasted sweet potato flesh (about 2 sweet potatoes)
1 small zucchini, grated
Zest of 1 lime
80g Sunbeam Raw Cashews, plus extra to decorate
200g Angas Park Fruit Medley
140ml coconut oil
3 eggs
Pinch of sea salt
Australian native flowers and Angas Park Fruit Salad, to decorate
CREAM CHEESE ICING
375g cream cheese, room temperature
120g cultured butter, room temperature
150g icing sugar, sifted
Natural coconut essence, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Recipe Collection
Walnut & Sultana Monkey Bread
Prepare the dough: The dough comes together with a mixer. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, it’s time to knead. You can simply continue beating the dough with the mixer for this step or you can knead the dough by hand.
Let the dough rise: The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
Punch down the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air.
Shape & coat dough balls: Pull off little pieces of dough and roll into balls. Dunk the balls into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon sugar. Little bakers love to help out with this step! Good thing to note: the heavier the cinnamon-sugar coating, the more these little monkey bread bites will taste like gooey cinnamon rolls.
Let the shaped monkey bread rest for 20 minutes: Arrange the coated balls in a flat oven proof pan or a cast iron pan, cover lightly, then set aside to rest as you preheat the oven. The balls will slightly rise during this time.
Top with buttery brown sugar sauce: Before baking the monkey bread, mix melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together. Stir in the nuts. Pour any remaining sauce sauce all over the dough balls.
Bake:
Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
Invert onto serving plate: Allow the monkey bread to cool for 5-10 minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate.
Drizzle with vanilla icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Drizzle all over the warm monkey bread. Top with extra nuts
Mini Fruit Pies
Preheat oven to 180oC
- Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
- Place almond meal, flour, sugar into a food processor and process until combined. Add butter and egg mixture and process until a ball forms. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a round 6cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 24 circles from the pastry. Line the base of 24-hole non-stick mini muffin pan (or use two 12-hole pans). Fill cases with fruit mince.
- Re-roll pastry and use a 4cm-diameter fluted pastry cutter to cut 24 circles for the lids. Brush the underside of lid lightly with water before gently pressing onto pie. Cut a small cross in the middle of each lid.
- Bake at 180oC for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
White Christmas Tree Bites
- Line the inside of 12 ice-cream cones with baking paper, using a stapler or sticky tape to secure paper.
- 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.
- 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.
Almond Lemon Broccoli
- Trim broccoli and cut into florets; steam or boil until tender. Drain and place in a serving bowl. Cover to keep warm.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and swirl saucepan to combine. Drizzle butter mixture over broccoli, then scatter with almonds.
Traditional Christmas Puddings
- Combine fruit, cranberry sauce, brandy and spices in a large bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight.
- Brush 10 x 1 cup pudding basins (ramekins) or one 10 cup basin, with melted butter and line the base with baking paper.
- Mix eggs, butter, brown sugar and flour until well combined, then stir through fruit mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared basins
- Cut a large circle of foil and baking paper, and place over each pudding, foil side up. Secure tightly with kitchen string.
- Place puddings in a large saucepan and add enough boiling water to fill halfway up the sides. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 1 ¼ hours for the small puddings or 5 hours for the large pudding, replenishing water when needed.
- Remove from water and store well wrapped until Christmas.
Apricot & Sunmuscat Sultana Bread & Butter Pudding
Cut bread into 3 cm cubes. Layer bread and sultanas over base of a 2 litre baking dish, drizzle with 2 Tbsp of the melted butter, and toss gently.
In a bowl or large jug, whisk eggs until smooth. Add jam, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla to the jug. Whisk again until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Pour egg mixture over bread cubes. Gently press with a spoon to submerge the bread in the liquid. Set aside for 15 mins while oven preheats.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Drizzle pudding with remaining 1 Tbsp butter and extra 1 Tbsp sugar.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until top is golden and puffed, but still just-wobbly in the centre. Cover loosely with foil in the last 15 minutes, if browning too quickly.
Cool 10 mins before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature, with custard and fresh berries.
Tips
Milk and butter can be substituted with diary free versions if preferred.
Apricot jam can be substituted with orange marmalade.
If bread is fresh, leave on bench for an hour or two once diced, to dry out slightly.