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
Twisted Christmas Bread Wreath
Frozen Cheescake Pudding
Place Mixed Fruits & dried cranberries and brandy in a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes to soak.
Line an 8-cup-capacity metal pudding basin with plastic wrap.
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add ice-cream. Beat until well combined. Fold in fruit mince, pistachios and cranberry sultana mixture. Pour mixture into prepared basin. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Place biscuits & Sunbeam almonds in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Add butter. Process until combined. Spoon over top of ice-cream, pressing with the back of a spoon to level and compact (see notes). Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight.
Turn pudding onto a serving plate. Carefully remove plastic wrap. Drizzle with chocolate topping.
Decorate with Raspberries, Strawberries and Mint. Serve immediately.
Christmas Lava Puddings
Preheat oven to 150ºC (140ºC fan). Lightly grease 8 holes of two Texas (jumbo) muffin tins.
- Combine all ingredients (except white chocolate) in a bowl. Mix well.
- Spoon half the mixture into the tins. Push two pieces of white chocolate into the centre of the mixture then divide the remaining mixture between each tin.
- Bake for 20-22 mins until cooked on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside.
- Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries, if using.If not serving immediately, refrigerate and microwave for 60 seconds immediately before serving.
Fruit & Nut Clusters
- Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Combine nuts and seeds with coconut and sultanas.
- Heat honey and pour over nut mix, combine well.
- Drop spoonfuls onto oven tray and bake for 15 mins until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from tray.
Frozen Christmas Pudding
Combine sugar with 250ml water in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then increase heat to high and boil for 1 minute.Remove from heat, add sultanas and cranberries and allow to sit for 10 mins. Drain and set aside to cool.
Use muslin to line the inside of a 1.75L capacity pudding basin.
Meanwhile, spoon icecream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Allow to soften slightly before beating until smooth.Add cooled fruit mixture, vanilla, cinnamon, pistachios and brandy and beat until just incorporated. Spoon into the prepared basin, smooth the surface, cover with the lid (or plastic wrap) and freeze overnight or until firm.
Turn out onto a serving plate, top with fresh berries and shower with icing sugar to serve.
You will need a 1.75L pudding basin and muslin for this recipe
You will need to begin this recipe the night before
Lemon Friands
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease with some butter and dust with additional almond meal 12 x ⅓ cup capacity friand moulds.
- Combine icing sugar, almond meal and flour in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Stir in the butter and juice. Add to the icing sugar mixture and mix until well combined.
- Pour between prepared moulds and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan and cool completely on a cooling rack. Serve dusted with additional icing sugar.
