Decadent Christmas Cake

Preparation 20 Minutes

Cook 2 HRS 30 MINS Minutes

Serves 20

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Method

  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.

Ingredients

500g pkt SUNBEAM Gourmet Selection Mixed Fruit

375g pkt SUNBEAM Raisins

1 cup SUNBEAM Sultanas

¾ cup water

½ cup port

250g butter, diced and softened

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

2 cups plain flour

½ cup self raising flour

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp apricot jam, warmed

SUNBEAM Blanched Almonds, to decorate

Recipe Collection

Chocolate Bark Variations

Place the chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Cook until the chocolate is almost entirely melted, stirring frequently.

Cover a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to spread chocolate evenly over the centre area of the baking sheet—aim for about ¼″ thickness

Sprinkle the nuts, seeds & fruit evenly over the chocolate. Lightly use your palms to press the toppings into the chocolate.

Place the pan on a flat surface in the refrigerator to set.

Once the chocolate is completely hardened, use your hands to break it into about 25 pieces. Serve immediately, or cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Mini Fruit Pies

Preheat oven to 180oC

  1. Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Chocolate Fruit Truffles

  1. Add chocolate to a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped.
  2. Transfer chocolate to a bowl, pour over the hot thickened cream, add butter, currants and salt and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until firm but still able to be scooped with a spoon.
  3. To make truffles, scoop 1 heaped tbsp of the mixture and use clean hands to roll into a rough ball. Repeat with remaining mixture (you should make about 24)
  4. Arrange crushed nuts, desiccated coconut and cacao powder in separate bowls. Roll each of the truffles into different coatings to decorate.*to make coloured coconut we combined desiccated coconut with a few drops of food colouring

Christmas Bark

Line a 25cm x 35cm with baking paper. Place chocolate into a medium heat proof bowl; stir over a medium saucepan of simmering water until smooth (don’t let water touch base of bowl). Stir in puffed rice and coconut.

Working quickly, spread chocolate mixture onto tray as thinly as possible; sprinkle with dried fruits, biscuit and nuts.

Refrigerate until set. Break bark into pieces to serve.

Sultana Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans with paper cases. Combine flour, brown sugar, oats and sultanas in medium bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter and egg in small bowl, stir into dry ingredients (do not overmix, mixture should be lumpy).

Divide mixture into paper cases. Bake about 15 minutes, turn, top-side up, onto wire rack. Combine caster sugar with cinnamon, sprinkle over hot muffins.

Fruit & Nut Clusters

  1. Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Combine nuts and seeds with coconut and sultanas.
  2. Heat honey and pour over nut mix, combine well.
  3. Drop spoonfuls onto oven tray and bake for 15 mins until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from tray.
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