Last Minute Christmas Cake
Preparation 40 MINS + overnight cooling
Cook SET TIME:2 1/2 HOURS
Serves 16
Method
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir over the heat for 3-4 mins until combined.
Add dried fruit, bicarbonate of soda, rum, cognac and 125ml water and stir well to combine. Increase heat to high and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium then cook for a further 4 mins without stirring. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to cool overnight.
Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan). Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin.
Add eggs to the cooled mixture and stir. Add flour and spices and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 mins before spooning into the prepared tin and smoothing the surface.
Decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds then bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check your cake every hour to ensure it is not browning too quickly on top. If it is, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before inverting to remove. To serve, brush with a little apricot jam that has been warmed in the microwave.
This cake can be stored for up to 3 months in the fridge – cover the cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and foil.
Ingredients
300g unsalted butter
420g dark brown sugar
3 x 375g Sunbeam Mixed Fruit
2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
250ml dark rum
125ml cognac
4 eggs, lightly whisked
400g wholemeal plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
200g Sunbeam Blanched Almonds
Apricot jam, to serve
Recipe Collection
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.
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.
Moroccan Chicken with Raisins, Almonds and Honey
Pat chicken dry with paper towel, and sprinkle both sides of meat with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil into a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat.
When oil is shimmering, add half the chicken pieces and cook 5 – 7 mins per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Reduce heat to medium, and add onion, garlic, ras el hanout, cinnamon stick, and ginger to the hot oil. Stir well, then cook for 5 mins, until onions have started to soften.
Return chicken and any resting juices to the pot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1.5 hrs, until the chicken is tender.
Remove cinnamon stick and add raisins and honey to the pot. Gently stir to combine and increase heat to medium. Simmer uncovered, for a further 30 – 45 min, until the sauce has reduced and the raisins are plump. Stir through lemon juice.
Garnish with almonds and parsley. Serve with crusty bread, rice, or couscous.
Gluten Free Cake
Preheat oven to 160°C
- Grease and line a deep 23cm round cake tin with two layers of greased baking paper extending paper 5cm above rim
- Place the mixed fruit, butter, whisky and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool until lukewarm. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift flour with the baking powder, spice and soda and stir into mixture with Sunbeam Almond Meal and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon into the prepared tin and bake at 160°C for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in tin for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and cool before removing paper.
Broccolini and Beans
- Place broccolini and beans in a medium saucepan of boiling water and cook for 3 – 5 minutes. Remove and drain well.
- In a small saucepan cook butter, lemon, garlic and chilli for 1 minute. Add parsley and almonds. Pour over broccolini and beans and toss to combine. Serve.
Choc Sultana Hot Cross Bun
Preheat oven to 200°C
- 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.
- 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.
- Combine ingredients for flour paste crosses and place in a piping bag. Pipe crosses onto buns.
- Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 170°C and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Turn onto a wire rack, serve hot with butter, if desired
