Sticky Date Christmas Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
Preparation Minutes
Cook Minutes
Serves 12
Method
TO MAKE THE PUDDING
1. Combine dates, mixed fruit, 280ml water, sugars, salt and butter in large saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 8 mins.
2. Add bicarbonate of soda, stir well and allow to cool completely (preferably overnight).
3. Once completely cool, add eggs, flours, spices and rum. Mix well.
4. Generously grease inside the pudding bowl. Pour the mixture into tin then cover with a layer of baking paper and a layer of foil and secure tightly with kitchen string.
5. Place a small cooling rack or an upturned oven-safe dish into the base of a large saucepan. Place pudding bowl on top so that it is not directly touching the bottom of the pan. Fill saucepan with boiling water to come half way up the sides of the pudding bowl. Bring water to the boil then reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 3 hours. Remove pudding from water, allow to cool completely before removing pudding from tin.
TO MAKE SAUCE
1. Combine cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until all ingredients combined.
2. Stir in salt.
Ingredients
You will need an 8 cup capacity pudding bowl for this recipe
450g Pitted Dates
375g SUNBEAM, Mixed Fruit
¾ cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch of sea salt
130g butter, plus extra to grease tin
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs
1 ½ cup self raising flour
1 ½ cup plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp rum
SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE
300ml thickened cream
80g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
Recipe Collection
Shortbread Layered Fruit Mince Butter Cake
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
Grease 3 round 20cm (8-inch) cake pans; line base and sides with baking paper.
Beat butter, extract and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Stir in sifted flours and milk, in two batches. Spread mixture into pan; smooth surface.
Bake cake about 1/2 hour. Stand in pan 5 minutes; turn, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool. Grab your prepared Sunbeam Fruit Mince and spread a generous layer over each cake then cover with a layer of cream. Stack the 3 cakes and then cover whole cake with cream icing.
Arrange summer fruits on top & dust with sifted icing sugar, arrange the gingerbread cookies as desired to decorate before serving.
Pavlova Trifle with soaked Natural Sultanas
- To make the Rum Custard: Soak Sunbeam Sultanas in the rum for 1-2 hours. Place milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger into a saucepan over low-medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer but below boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, removing the cinnamon and ginger pieces.
- In a large bowl whisk together egg yolks and corn starch. Then, while whisking slowly mix in a ladle of the warm milk to temper the eggs. Continue doing this until you have mixed all the warm milk in. Clean out the saucepan and add the custard mixture back in. Heat over low heat for 20 minutes, whisking constantly, until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and stir through the rum-soaked Sultanas.
- Pour into a heat safe bowl and let cool on the counter. Then, refrigerate until cold.
- To make the Candied Pistachios: Add the sugar and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add pistachios, salt and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes, or until the syrup coats the pistachios and is very thick. Place pistachios onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and allow to cool and set. Let cool completely before chopping and using.
- Pour into a clean bowl the thickened cream. Add in the vanilla essence and whisk until soft peaks forms.
- To assemble Trifle: in a large glass serving dish, layer custard, chunks of pavlova, spiced rum custard, whipped cream, honey candied chopped pistachios, strawberries and raspberries. Repeat this until your trifle bowl is full.
- Garnish with fresh raspberries, strawberries, cream and honey candied chopped pistachios.
Serve and enjoy.
Chutney for Glazed Ham
Put the vinegar and sugar in a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Put the remaining ingredients in the pan and bubble on high for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
The chutney is ready when the mixture looks sticky and thick, and a wooden spoon leaves a brief trail on the bottom of the pan.
Leave to cool, then pour into sterilised jars
Apricot Balls
- Place apricots, sultanas and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Place cooled fruit in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add oats and coconut. Remove to a bowl and roll teaspoonsful into balls and then roll in sesame seeds to coat. Refrigerate until required.
Notes:
Balls can also be rolled in coconut, chopped pepitas or chopped nuts.
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.
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
