Sunbeam Christmas Cake
Preparation 30 MINS + Soak Time
Cook 90
Serves 12
Method
Soak fruit overnight in brandy, if you warm the brandy it infuses faster and you can soak for a few hours instead of overnight.
Place soaked fruit, water, butter, maple syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil then remove from heat and add bicarbonate of soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water. Cool for 15 minutes.
Add lightly beaten eggs, mixing thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours, spices and vanilla essence.
We used a 21cm bundt tin. Bake at 160°C for 75 to 90 minutes. Cool in tin.
Decorate with Caramel glaze and Sunbeam flake almonds.
Ingredients
375g Sunbeam Mixed Fruit
125g Angas Park Diced Dates
1 cup brandy
1 cup water
125g butter
2 tablespoons S&W Maple syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 x eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
½ teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Recipe Collection
Fruit Nut Fudge Brownie
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line base and sides of a 27cm x17cm slice pan with baking paper, extending paper over sides.
- Combine fruit and rum or juice in saucepan and bring just to the boil. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. Set aside 1/4 cup of the fruit mixture for decorating the top.
- Heat butter and chocolate in saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and combined. Set aside to cool 10 minutes.
- Whisk sugar and eggs together in large bowl, then whisk in cooled chocolate mixture and remaining soaked fruit. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl and add half of the hazelnuts (saving some for the top). Stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan and scatter with reserved fruit and nuts.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tested with a skewer. Some crumbs will cling to the skewer. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing. Cut into 18 pieces and serve warm and gooey or cool and fudgy.
Easter Blondies
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and butter or line with parchment paper a 20cm x 20cm baking tin.
Melt the butter and white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of water and take off to cool once combined and fully melted.
In another bowl, mix the muscovado sugar, caster sugar and eggs together until thick and glossy. Approximately 2 minutes.
Once the butter and white chocolate mixture is cooled, mix in 1/3 to the sugar and eggs, and then fold in the rest.
Add in your flour, baking powder, vanilla, almonds and macadamias and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into your lines baking tin and for 35-45 minutes. The centre should still have a little wobble and a tooth pick should come out a little fudgy.
Straight from the oven, press your speckled eggs into the top of your blondie and let cool on a wire rack.
Almond & Cranberry Bark
In 160 degree oven. Toast the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant and turning lightly golden on the edges, about 6 minutes.
Transfer the nuts to a cutting board and roughly chop them.
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 evenly over the chocolate, followed by the cranberries. 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
Chocolate 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, nuts, remaining coconut & rice puffs.
Refrigerate until set. Break bark into pieces to serve.
Sunbeam Christmas Pudding
In a large saucepan combine all dried fruits with 300ml water, butter and caster sugar. Stir well to combine, then bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and stir over a simmer for 8 mins. Turn off the heat and stir in bicarbonate of soda. Cover and allow mixture to cool completely overnight.
Soak breadcrumbs in milk until just absorbed. Add to the mixture with lemon zest, almonds, carrot, flour and spices. Mix well then stir in eggs, brandy and orange juice.
Grease the base and sides of a 2L lidded pudding basin. Spoon the mixture into the basin then smooth the surface and cover with a round of baking paper before closing the lid.
Place a trivet into the bottom of a large saucepan and rest the pudding basin on top. Fill the saucepan with enough boiling water to come half way up the basin. Cover the saucepan with lid, bring the water to a boil then reduce to very low simmer and leave the pudding to steam for 6 hours.
Check that the pudding is done by gently pressing gently the centre. If it springs back it’s ready (f not, re-cover and steam for a further 30 mins, repeating if necessary).
Allow pudding to cool in the tin for an hour then invert onto a baking rack to cool completely.
Date Cookies
- Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Line oven trays with baking paper. Place oats, flour, dates and pepitas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Remove to a mixing bowl.
- Place butter and honey in a small saucepan and heat until melted. Add to oat mixture with the banana and mix well. Spoon tablespoons of mixture onto prepared trays. Bake for 20 minutes or until just golden. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
