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
Hot Cross Muffins
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line a 12 hole muffin pan. Sift flour, mixed spice and cinnamon into a large Combine the egg, milk and butter in a jug. Pour into a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Divide the mixture among the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
- Place the icing sugar in a small bowl. Gradually stir in water to make a thick icing. Pipe a cross onto each muffin and set aside until the icing is set.
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!
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.
Sultana & Date Scones
Fruit & Nut Chocolate Nests
Rocky Road
Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin.
Mix together raisins, cherries, marshmallows and pistachios. Pour 1 cup of the mixture into the base of the prepared tin.
Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, microwave for 30 seconds, stir then microwave in 10 second bursts until melted. Allow to cool for about 5 mins before adding the remaining fruit and nut mixture. Toss to coat then pour into the prepared tin, gently flattening the surface. Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).
Remove from tin and slice into 4 long rows. Wrap in cellophane for Christmas gifting.