Golden Fruit Cake

Preparation 30MINS + 5-7 DAYS SOAKING TIME

Cook 3 – 3 1/2 HRS

Serves 20

Print Recipe Share

Method

Combine fruit and 1/2 cup of brandy in a large bowl. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for 5-7 days, stirring each day.

Preheat oven to 150°C and grease a 22cm round deep cake tin. Line with three layers of brown paper, extending papers 5cm above rim

  1. Stir slivered almonds, pineapple and grated apple into fruit mixture. Set aside
  2. Beat butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add to fruit mixture and mix well.
  3. Stir sifted dry ingredients through the wet mix. Spread evenly into pan. Tap pan several times on bench to settle the mixture.
  4. Decorate with blanched almonds. Bake for 3-3 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Leave hot cake in the tin and wrap in foil, then a thick tea towel to cool overnight.

HINT: FOR AN EXTRA MOIST CAKE, PIERCE THE TOP OF THE CAKE ALL OVER WITH A FINE SKEWER AND SPOON A LITTLE EXTRA BRANDY OVER, BEFORE COOLING.

Ingredients

1kg Sunbeam Mixed Fruit

125g Sunbeam Raisins

125g Sunbeam Currants

1 cup Sunbeam Slivered Almonds

1 cup brandy

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 small Granny Smith Apple, grated

250g butter, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp mixed spice

120g Sunbeam Blanched Almonds (to decorate)

Recipe Collection

Beef & Apricot Tagine

1. Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add spices and cook a further minute until fragrant. Add to the pot of a slow cooker.

2. Using the remaining oil, sear beef in batches until well browned. Add to the slow cooker with the stock, tomatoes, cinnamon and orange peel. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.

3. Add the apricots and chickpeas in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Season well. Serve beef with almonds and coriander and accompany with rice and yoghurt.

*For a faster cooking time, cook on High heat for 4 hours.

Christmas Cake Gift Jar

As a gift idea

  1. Place flour in bottom of jar and add spices and bicarbonate of soda
  2. Pour in fruit and push down lightly
  3. Next place brown sugar and finish with slivered almonds.
  4. Attach a gift card with the following instructions:

YOU WILL NEED
250g butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup brandy

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven 150°C. Double line a 20cm round tin with baking paper
  2. Combine gift jar contents, butter, eggs and brandy and stir until combined
  3. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Festive Fruit Cake

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line the base and sides of a 20cm springform cake pan.

Mix nuts, dried fruits, glace cherries, peel in a bowl. Sift in flour, baking powder then stir in sugar. Lightly whisk eggs with vanilla, then stir into the cake mixture until well combined. Pour into pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack over a plate and remove baking paper. Pierce all over with a skewer. Drizzle with brandy, then wrap tightly in foil and leave in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days to mature.

For the topping: Soak fruit in Maple syrup, add boiling water to cover and let soften. Closer to serving, warm jam in a pan over low heat or in the microwave until runny. Arrange the maple-soaked fruits over the top of the cake in a decorative pattern, then brush with warm jam to set in place.

Chocolate Ripple Christmas Wreath

You will need to begin this recipe the night before

Whip the cream to soft peaks. 

Spread a few tablespoons of whipped cream onto the base of a 26-28cm round serving plate.  This will stop your wreath from sliding around.

Dollop 1 flat tbsp of whipped cream onto a biscuit and top with another biscuit.  Repeat until you have a stack of 5 biscuits, the top biscuit should not have any cream on top.

Repeat to make 8 stacks of biscuits.

On the prepared serving plate, arrange the biscuit stacks into a wreath shape.  Spread the entire biscuit wreath with just enough whipped cream to ensure the biscuits are covered on top and around the sides.  Refrigerate overnight, reserving remaining whipped cream.

When ready to serve, spread remaining whipped cream around the wreath.  Decorate with dried fruit and nuts.

Classic Christmas Pudding

  1. Combine fruit, brandy, rinds and apple. Cover and set aside overnight or for at least 2 hours.
  2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, beat in golden syrup. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  3. Combine breadcrumbs, flour, spices and almonds. Add creamed butter mixture and soaked fruit, mixing well to combine.
  4. Grease a 2 litre capacity pudding basin, line the base with a double layer of baking paper.
  5. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth top. Double line the top with baking paper rounds.
  6. Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and 60cm piece of foil, layer and fold in half, make a 3cm pleat in the middle (this allows for any expansionof the pudding). Place sheets over pudding and secure tightly with string. Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, fill one third with water and bring to boil. Carefully place pudding onto wire rack making sure the water level comes about halfway up pudding basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, replenish water when needed.
  7. Remove from water, stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve cut into slices with cream and maple syrup.

Mini Indulgent Puddings

Preheat oven to 150°C

  1. Combine fruit, jellied cranberry sauce, brandy and spices in a large bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight.
  2. Brush ten 1-cup pudding basins (ramekins) with melted butter and line base with baking paper.
  3. Mix eggs, butter, brown sugar and flours until well combined, then stir through fruit mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared basins.
  4. Cut a large circle of foil and baking paper and place over each pudding, foil side up. Secure tightly with kitchen string.
  5. Place pudding in a large saucepan and add enough boiling water to fill halfway up the sides. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 11⁄4 hours, replenishing water when needed.
  6. Remove from water and store well wrapped until Christmas.
More Recipes

Join Our Recipe Club