- Mar 8th 2011
- 0 comment
Tags: Recipes , Christmas, Dessert, Pastry; Cakes & Biscuits
Tools: Slicer Shredder, Stand Mixers
Ingredients
- 1kg dried mixed fruit, roughly chopped
- 115g dried dates, roughly chopped
- 100g pitted prunes, roughly chopped
- 60g glacé ginger, chopped
- juice and rind 1 medium orange
- 50ml brandy or whisky
- 1 medium green apple, peeled & grated
- 190g butter, softened
- ¾ cup (175g) caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 60g walnuts, chopped
- 50g (½ cup) almond meal
- 100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
- 1 cups (200g) plain flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Topping
- 250g of your favourite nuts (blanched almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts)
- 2 tbs apricot jam
- 2 tsp brandy
Method
- In a large bowl, add the dried and glacé fruits, rind, juice, brandy, apple and stir to combine. Cover and set aside overnight or for up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 150C (130C fan forced). Line base and sides of a KitchenAid Springform Pan (23cm) with 2 layers each of brown paper and baking paper, bringing the paper 4cm above the edge of the pan*.
- Attach the flat beater to the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Cream butter and sugar on speed 8 for 5 minutes or until light and creamy.
- Add eggs, beating thoroughly in between each egg.
- Turn off mixer. Add fruit mixture, nuts, chocolate and then flour and cinnamon. Spoon the mixtures evenly around the bowl. Turn to speed 2 and mix until well combined, do not over mix.
- Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Drop pan on the bench twice to spread cake evenly.
- Decorate top of cake with nuts, pushing them down lightly into batter.
- Place cake on a double thickness of brown paper on baking sheet and bake for 2½ hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil and allow cake to cool in pan.
- Warm jam and brandy in a small pan and brush over nut topping.
Tips
- The brown paper and baking paper protect the edges of the cake during the long slow cooking. Without this, the cake would become dry.
- To make your own fresh almond meal: Attach the slicer shredder with the fine shredding drum to the stand mixer. Turn mixer to speed 8. Add the almonds pushing down gently with the pusher and finely grate.
Tags: Recipes , Christmas, Dessert, Pastry; Cakes & Biscuits
Tools: Slicer Shredder, Stand Mixers