Spiced Lemon Cake
Preparation 20 Minutes
Cook 45 Minutes
Serves 12-16
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
-
Place butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer, beat until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
-
Fold in the sifted flour, almond meal, baking powder and spice alternately with the sour cream, mixing until well combined. Add lemon juice and rind, mixing well.
-
Spoon batter into a greased and lined 20cm square cake pan. Sprinkle the pine nuts and currants over the top and bake for 40- 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
-
For the syrup: Place sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced, thick and syrupy. Remove cinnamon stick.
-
Drizzle the syrup evenly over the cake, allowing it to be absorbed. Allow to cool in the pan for 1 hour. Serve cake pieces with a dollop of thick cream or yoghurt.
Ingredients
175g butter, diced and softened
1¼ cups caster sugar
3 extra large eggs
1 ½ cups plain flour
½ cup SUNBEAM Almond Meal
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp mixed spice
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
¼ cup SUNBEAM Currants
¼ cup SUNBEAM Pine Nuts
Spiced Syrup
¼ cup caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon (approx. 60ml)
1 cinnamon stick
Recipe Collection
Dark Chocolate Rocky Road
- Grease and line base and sides of a 27cm x17cm slice pan with baking paper, extending the paper over sides.
- Place chocolate and coconut oil in a large heatproof bowl over saucepan one-third filled with simmering water. Stir until melted and remove from heat.
- Add raisins, marshmallows, macadamias, coconut and three-quarters of the seed mix (saving some for the top). Stir to combine and spread into prepared pan. Scatter with reserved seed mix.
- Set aside to cool for 1 hour or until set. Refrigerate if weather is hot. Cut into 24 pieces to serve.
Sultana & Cornflake Cookies
Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth, add egg, beat until combined. Stir in sultanas and sifted flour. Fold flour, 1 cup cornflakes, sultanas through mixture. Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture in lightly crushed cornflakes, place about 3cm apart on greased oven trays; flatten slightly. Bake in oven about 20 minutes or until browned. Cool on trays.
Sticky Date Christmas Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
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.
Banana Date Loaf
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a 10 x 20cm loaf pan with baking paper. Place bananas and dates in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add eggs and oil. Pulse until well combined.
- Transfer banana mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in flour, coconut, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and cranberries. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle top with the seeds. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.
Last Minute Christmas Cake
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir over the heat for 3-4 mins until combined.
Add dried fruit, bicarbonate of soda, rum, cognac and 125ml water and stir well to combine. Increase heat to high and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium then cook for a further 4 mins without stirring. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to cool overnight.
Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan). Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin.
Add eggs to the cooled mixture and stir. Add flour and spices and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 mins before spooning into the prepared tin and smoothing the surface.
Decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds then bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check your cake every hour to ensure it is not browning too quickly on top. If it is, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before inverting to remove. To serve, brush with a little apricot jam that has been warmed in the microwave.
This cake can be stored for up to 3 months in the fridge – cover the cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and foil.
Chocolate Fudge Cookies
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Place chocolate in a microwave proof container and cook in 30 second increments until melted and smooth, whilst stirring regularly. Allow to cool.
- Place butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, until well incorporated. Fold in melted chocolate.
- Fold in flour and almond meal. Refrigerate cookie dough, covered for at least 1 hour.
- Roll chilled dough into 48 small balls and press down lightly onto lined oven trays. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on tray before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For ganache, place chocolate and cream in a microwave proof bowl and cook in 15 second increments until melted and smooth, whilst stirring regularly. Allow to cool slightly before using ganache to join cookies together, to make 24.
