Easter Fruit Loaf
Preparation 30 Minutes
Cook 45 Minutes
Serves 8-10
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C
Dough:
- Sift self raising flour, bi-carb soda, mixed spice and castor sugar into a large bowl. Pour in buttermilk and mix with a butter knife to combine. Tip onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Roll out to a 40cm x 30cm rectangle.
- Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Thinly spread creamed butter mix over dough and sprinkle evenly with almond meal. Combine all the fruit in a small bowl and spread on top of the almond meal.
- Roll into a loaf, place on a greased paper lined oven tray and set aside for 15 minutes to allow dough to rise.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. When cool, ice and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.
Icing:
- Combine sifted icing sugar with boiling water.
Ingredients
Fruit and Nut Filling:
90g butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp vanilla essence
110g Sunbeam Ground Almonds
100g Sunbeam Sultanas
50g Sunbeam Currants
70g Sunbeam Glace Cherries, chopped
50g Sunbeam Apricots, diced
40g Angus Park Cranberries
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Buttermilk Dough:
2 ½ cups self raising flour
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp mixed spice
¼ cup castor sugar
350ml buttermilk
Topping
1 cup pure icing sugar
3 tbs boiling water
40g Sunbeam Flaked Almonds, toasted
Recipe Collection
Christmas Cheesecake
Preheat oven to 180oC (160oC fan). Generously grease a 20cm round, loose-bottom (or springform) tin. Line the base with baking paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, add biscuits. Blitz to a fine crumb. Add 250g of the melted butter and blitz until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and use a spatula to gentle push half of the mixture up the sides of the tin. Spread remaining mixture evenly over the base (using a drinking glass can help to compact the mixture around the sides and base). Refrigerate.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine remaining butter with sugar and whisk until combined. With the motor running, add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add cream cheese, quark, sour cream and vanilla, whisk until smooth. Add cornflour and mix until incorporated.
Add peel and sultanas and gently fold through the cream mixture, then spoon into the prepared base and smooth the surface.
Bake cheesecake for 10mins then reduce oven temperature to 170°C (150°C fan) and bake for a further 50 mins. Turn off the oven, leaving the door slightly open, allow cheesecake to sit in the oven for a further hour until the edges of the cheesecake feel firm when gently pressed.
Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature then remove sides of tin and transfer cheesecake to refrigerator to cool overnight.
To make the meringue decoration, place the egg whites and caster sugar in a large bowl and whip into soft peaks. Spoon the meringue on top of the cheese cake and shape with a spatula. Use kitchen blow torch to lightly crisp the outside of the meringue. Serve and enjoy!
Sticky Currant, Walnut & Ginger Puddings
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 6 x 1 cup ramekins.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, ginger, salt, and brown sugar. Add currants, walnuts and ginger and toss to coat in the flour mixture. Add the milk and butter, and stir until just combined.
Divide mixture into prepared ramekins and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
To make the caramel sauce, combine brown sugar and milk in a saucepan and stir well.
Place over medium heat. When bubbles form around the edge of the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 2 – 3 mins, gently swirling the pan but not stirring, until caramel is thickened and is just starting to smell toasty. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in butter and vanilla.
Serve puddings in ramekins, or turn out onto plates. Spoon over the caramel sauce and serve warm – with cream or ice cream if desired.
Tips
Divide batter into 12-hole muffin tin, greased or lined with cupcake papers. Check for doneness from 20 min.
If caramel is made in advance, re-warm over low heat or in the microwave, until smooth and pourable.
Mini Fruit Tarts
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Add fruit mince in an even layer into tart case.
Cut out star shapes from shortcrust sheet.
Brush each pastry shape with beaten egg and place pastry egg-side down on fruit mince.
Bake tart about 20 minutes or until browned lightly. Dust with a little sifted icing sugar before serving.
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
Nutty Barramundi with Coconut Greens
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
- Place macadamia nuts, almonds, ginger and rind in a food processor; pulse until mixture forms a chunky paste.
- Place fillets on an oven tray; season with salt and pepper.
- Press nut mixture evenly on each fillet.
- Bake fish for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Meanwhile, place sugar snap peas and beans in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain well; refresh under cold running water.
- Combine all coconut ingredients in a small jar. Shake.
- Serve fillets topped with micro herbs and dressing, sugar snap peas and beans.
Christmas Mud Cakes with Chocolate Ganache
- Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan-forced). Line 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
- Place mixed fruit into a food processor with boiling water and blend to a fine paste. Transfer to a large saucepan with butter, chocolate, milk and brown sugar. Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the butter and chocolate has melted.
- Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can transfer to a clean bowl and use a hand mixer) and whisk in the eggs. Add flour mixture, cocoa, mixed spice and a generous pinch of salt. Mix until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Pour batter into the prepared cases and smooth the surface. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- Heat cream until hot and pour over chocolate. Mix until smooth and desired consistency achieved. Spread over mud cakes.
