Christmas Cake

Mixed with fruits, nuts and spices, no Christmas complete without the traditional rich fruitcake, with or without the frosting!!

Christmas Cake

Serves 6 –8. Cooking time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• Sugar fro caramel – 4tbsp
• Boiling water – 2 tbsp
• Sultanas – 30gms
• Refined flour – 85gms
• Raisins – 60gms
• Black currants – 15gms
• Semolina – 30gms
• Candied peel: chopped – 30gms
• Crystallized fruits chopped – 30gms
• Almonds (blanched and chopped) – 30gms
• Margarine/butter – 145gms
• Castor sugar 120gms
• Egg yolks – 4 numbers
• Egg whites (stiffy beaten) – 2
• Temperature: 150 C
• Shelf placement: Center

Method

• Dissolve sugar over a low fire till dark brown in colour. Add boiling water to it. Remove from fire and cool. Measure caramel and keep aside
• Grease and line a round tin, 12 –14 cms diameter
• Remove seeds of the sultanas and cut into 4 to 6 pieces
• Cut raisins in half. Cut black currants into half and remove seeds
• Sieve flour and semolina
• Add the chopped fruits and nuts to the flour mixture and keep aside
• Cream margarine and sugar till light and fluffy
• Beat in the egg yolks into the caramel mixture one at a time mixing well after each addition
• 1 Fold in the flour-fruit mixture into the creamed mixture
• Fold in the caramel and stiffy beaten egg whites into the cake batter
• Pour the batter in the greased and lined tin. Place tin in the drip tray.
• Bake at the 150°C. Bake for 35 minutes
• Cool on a wire rack
• Cut and serve along with coffee.                           

 Christmas Shots

SANGRIA

Ingredients

• Bottle white or red wine (not very mature)
• Fruit chucks – orange, peach, apple and plums

Method

• Pour a bottle of white/red wine in a glass jar
• Add fruit chunks and soak overnight or for a maximu of 2 days in fridge at 10 – 12 degrees C
• Serve wine strained or with fruits

APPLE PUNCH

 Ingredients

• Apricot syrup – 15ml
• Reduced apple juice – 60ml
• Lemonade – to top up
• Clove 2
• Cinnamon – few
• Whole aniseeds – few

Method

Fill pilsner glass with ice cubes, pour apricot syrup, reduced syrup and top up with lemonade.
HAPPY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!