Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Christmas cake

“The clue's in the name – this rich Christmas __cake is made completely in a food processor – genius! ”
  • 280 g pitted prunes
  • 200 g raisins
  • 200 g currants
  • 200 g mixed peel
  • 200 g dried cranberries
  • 140 g glace cherries
  • 100 g mixed nuts
  • 150 ml dark rum
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 3 teaspoons almond essence
  • 400 g brown sugar
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 230 g unsalted butter
  • 5 free-range eggs
  • 130 ml tawny port
  • 70 ml golden rum
  • 40 g glacéed cedro lemons , sliced wafer thin
  • ½ candied orange (or clementine) , sliced wafer thin
  • For the icing
  • 450 g caster sugar
  • 60 ml golden rum
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 free-range egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • Method

    1. Recipe by Andy Harris
    2. Combine dried fruits in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add nuts, dark rum, vanilla and almond essence and 60g brown sugar. Cover and soak in the rum overnight then transfer to a saucepan. Add 250ml cold water and heat over high heat until begins to simmer then reduce to low heat and cook 15 minutes or until fruits soften. Allow to cool.
    3. Sift flour with allspice, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl and set aside.
    4. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and the remaining brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add fruit mixture and stir well to combine, then add reserved flour mixture and combine well.
    5. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas 2. Grease a 28cm-diameter springform __cake tin with a little softened butter, then sprinkle a little flour around the sides and bottom and shake out excess flour. Spoon cake mixture into cake tin and bake for 2 hours or until a skewer poked in the middle of the cake withdraws clean from the cake. Remove cake from the oven and prick all over with the skewer. Combine port and rum in a jug and pour over the cake. Allow to stand for 3 hours before removing from the springform cake tin.
    6. For the icing, combine sugar, golden rum, cream of tartar, ¼ teaspoon salt and 180ml cold water in a saucepan and cook over low heat until mixture reaches 118C (soft ball stage) on a sugar thermometer. Meanwhile, beat egg whites in a mixer to soft peaks then gradually add hot syrup and vanilla to egg whites, beating constantly for 10 minutes or until icing cools and is of spreadable consistency.
    7. Ice cake immediately with a palette knife and serve with garnish of cedro and clementines on top.

    Let’s build a healthier, happier world through the joy of food! Join the Food Revolution for the latest on sustainable food, farming and cooking projects across the globe. Join our Food Revolution!

    Related Posts:

    • Earl grey-infused ice cream 250 ml whole milk 125 g sugar 500 ml double cream 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves 5 large free-range egg yolks 4 shortbread biscuits Method Put the milk, sugar and cream in a large pan over a low-med… Read More
    • Chocolate Guinness Cake“With a heady mix of Guinness and chocolate, this __cake is a grown-up treat. Rich and dark, the velvety bitterness of the Guinness brings out the flavour of the chocolate, so it packs a punch, while lending the sponge a subt… Read More
    • Blackberry fool 1 vanilla pod 500 g blackberries 100 g caster sugar 1 lemon 330 ml double cream 200 ml fat-free Greek yoghurt Method Halve, the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds, then place in a large pan along with 350g … Read More
    • Almond & honey dairy-free ice cream 500 ml almond milk 500 ml hazelnut milk 4 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons runny honey 500 g soya yoghurt 1 spash of amaretto , optional Method Place the almond milk, hazelnut milk, sugar and honey in a small … Read More
    • Lemon sorbet“Try to find Sicilian or Amalfi lemons for this – they may be more expensive than regular lemons, but their sharp flavour is perfect for this palate-cleanser. You can also add a shot of vodka or grappa – for adults only! ” 1… Read More

    0 comments:

    Post a Comment