Christmas Edible Gift #2 ~ Cranberry & Almond Fudge

This fudge is a little sensation it’s so easy to make without the need for a sugar thermometer! Just a few combining of ingredients on the heat and of course stirring before being placed into a lined baking tin for chilling. Once chilled, the fudge can be cut into pieces; its texture is very creamy and sweet and with the addition of dried cranberries and almonds makes a perfect edible gift. Divided up in to little cellophane bags and tied with a festive coloured ribbon, this would make a lovely Christmas gift for family or friends.

Happy Cook @ My Kitchen Treasures is hosting a charming event for Homemade Christmas Gifts and I am submitting my fudge into this event. She is posting a round-up here where you’re able to view all the homemade gifts that have been submitted.

Cranberry & Almond Fudge

Ingredients
275g (10 oz) Icing sugar
150ml (¼ pint) full fat milk
75g (3 oz) dried cranberries
50g (2 oz) butter
60g (2½ oz) flaked almonds ~ toasted lightly
¼tsp almond extract
300g (11 oz) white chocolate, chopped a little

Method

Line a 20cm x20cm x5cm (8x8x2 in) baking tin with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the tin.

Butter the sides of a heavy based saucepan and add the icing sugar, milk and butter; stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Stir over a medium heat until the mixture boils and the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil the mixture for 5 minutes without stirring. Reduce the heat to low. Add the white chocolate and stir on the low heat until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the dried cranberries, lightly toasted almonds, and almond extract. With a spatula spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Cover with cling film or foil and place in the fridge to chill for 6 hours or until firm. Lift out the fudge with the foil from the tin and cut into 2.5cm (1 in) squares.

To toast the flaked almonds, spread them on a baking tray in a single layer and bake in a preheated oven 180°c/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Toast for 10 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the flaked almonds over in the baking tray after being in the oven for 5 minutes to evenly toast them.

Hummingbird Cake

On my travels around the blogosphere I saw a beautiful cake that my very sweet blogger friend “Happy Cook” @ My Kitchen Treasures had baked. Known to me as H.C. she has a beautiful blog and has an immense passion for cooking and baking. The range of her food is diverse from Indian, Chinese, Italian and Belgian and amongst all this a sprinkling of other cultures. Also H.C. is hosting a brilliant event at the moment for Homemade Christmas Gifts. If you desire to participate or just view the gorgeous edible gifts for Christmas ideas do take a peek here .

Thank you H.C. for sharing such a great bake :)

Another great blogger Aparna @ My Diverse Kitchen is celebrating her first year of blogging. To celebrate, she is asking bloggers and non-bloggers to celebrate with her by sending in celebratory fare. I thought this cake would be a lovely addition to this celebratory event. I had to include a candle on top of the cake in Aparna’s honour. You have until the 30th November 08 to submit your entry.

Hummingbird Cake ~ adapted from Happy Cooks recipe

Ingredients
1½ cups of self-raising flour
1 cup of caster sugar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup of flavourless oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Few drops of vanilla extract
¾ cup pecan nuts, chopped
2 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
½ cup of pineapple from a tin, drained and chopped finely
Cream Cheese Frosting
60g Cream cheese
30g butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups of icing sugar
Edible food colour of choice (optional)
A few sprinkles (optional)

You will need a 20cm (8 in) round springform tin, lightly greased with a little butter and based lined with non-stick baking paper or greaseproof paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan oven 150°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, vanilla extract, oil, nuts, banana and pineapple and stir until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until firm to the touch in the centre of the cake or a skewer inserted into the centre come out clean.

Leave the cake to stand in its tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the paper from the base of the cake and place onto a cake stand or plate to serve.

Place all the ingredients for the frosting into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. * I added my edible food colouring at the end when the frosting was all combined*.

Spread the cream cheese filling over the top of the cake and decorate if wished with sprinkles etc.

‘C’ is for Christmas Fare 2008!

I’m not quite sure where this year has gone, it seems to have flown by! It’s time again for baking my Christmas fruit cake and making up a batch of mincemeat for Christmas 2008. I like to make my fruit cake and mincemeat in October each year, to mature and develop all those Christmassy flavours. Here are my recipes that I have pleasure in sharing with you and hopefully you may try them out too this festive season!

Christmas Fruit Cake’08

Feeding the cake with brandy!

My cake will be fed leading up to the last few weeks of December by adding 1 tsp of brandy each week. This ensures for a rich matured moist fruit cake before applying the marzipan and icing in late December.

Christmas Fruit Cake’08

You will need to start soaking all the dried fruits three days prior to baking this cake to enable the fruits to swell and absorb the brandy and orange juice.

Ingredients
175g (6 oz) raisins
350g (12 oz) glace cherries, rinsed, dried and quartered
500g (1 lb 2oz) currants
350g (12 oz) sultanas
150ml (¼ pint) brandy, plus extra for feeding
Finely grated zest of 1 orange and lemon
Juice of 1 orange
250g (9 oz) butter, softened
250g (9 oz) light muscovado sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp black treacle (molasses)
75g 93 oz) chopped mixed nuts
75g (2 oz) self-raising flour
175g (6 oz) plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cocoa powder
A large container with lid for soaking the fruits

You will need a 20cm (8 in) springform tin, greased and lined with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper and the outside of the tin double layered with brown paper and tied in the middle with string.

Method

Three days prior to baking the cake, add all the dried fruits to the container and pour over the brandy and stir in the orange zest and juice and then the lemon zest. Cover with a lid and leave to soak for three days, stirring daily.

Line the 20cm (8 in) springform tin as directed above and preheat the oven 140°C/fan 120°C/275°F/gas mark 1.

In a very large bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together until fluffy and light. Add the eggs a little at a time until all incorporated then add the nuts and stir through. Add the flours, cocoa powder and spices and mix thoroughly until blended. Stir in the soaked fruit. Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface, I like to leave a little dip in the middle of the mixture so the cake doesn’t dome in the middle when baked.

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 4½ hrs or until the cake the cake feels firm to the touch in the middle and is a rich golden brown, or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check the cake after 2 hrs baking and if the top is a lovely golden brown, cover with a circle of baking paper or foil to prevent the top from burning. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.

When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a skewer and feed with a tsp brandy. Wrap the cake completely up in a double layer of greaseproof paper and a layer of foil. Store in a cool place for up to three months, feeding with 1 tbsp brandy every week.

Decorate with marzipan and icing in the last few weeks before Christmas.

Boozy Mincemeat

Boozy Mincemeat

I have been making this mincemeat each year ever since it appeared in The GoodFood Magazine in 2002 (you can find the original recipe here). This is a great recipe that imparts all those Christmassy flavours without much effort to achieve a fantastic moist boozy mincemeat for mince pies or last minute chocolate Christmas cake etc. I have altered the recipe slightly by using luxury mixed vine fruits and peel, glace cherries and vegetable suet. This recipe will keep from one year to the next but as Ruth Watson states; it is best used within six months.

Here is my adapted recipe for Boozy Mincemeat

Makes approximately 3.5kg (7lb)

Ingredients
3 x 500g (1lb 2oz) luxury vine fruits with added peel
200g (7 oz) glace cherries, washed and chopped
500g (1lb 2oz) Bramley apples or apple of choice, peeled, cored and grated
100g (4 oz) whole blanched almonds, chopped
350g (12 oz) Demerara sugar or soft brown sugar
100g (4 oz) dark muscovado sugar
1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
2 rounded tsp ground mixed spice
1 large lemon, zest and juiced
125ml dark rum
125ml Disaronno amaretto liqueur
175ml French brandy

Method

In a very large bowl (I used my preserving pan), place in the vine fruits and peel, glace cherries, grated apple, suet, chopped almonds, sugars, spices, lemon zest and juice, and then lastly add all the alcohol. Mix thoroughly through together either with a large spoon or clean hands. Cover over with a clean tea towel and leave to stand for 24 hours giving the mixture a good stir as you pass by.

Next day pack the mincemeat into sterilised jars, (I used Kilner jars) and top with greaseproof paper jam covers. Seal the jars tightly and store in a cool place. This recipe will keep from one year to the next but as Ruth Watson states; it is best used within six months.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

It has been rather a busy time for me this last week or so with company staying however, it’s been a blast cooking and baking. I didn’t have time to take photos to blog at a later stage because the food was whisked to the dining table whilst still hot and my guests devoured it with glee! There’s nothing better than watching your guests enjoy what you have cooked or baked to boost morale. Hopefully I will be recreating some of the baking I did in the future and posting photos and recipes for you. Apologies to my ‘dear’ blogging friends that I haven’t visited in the last week, but hopefully now things have quietened down my end, I will be calling by very shortly!

Today I baked a wonderful tasting cinnamon coffee cake; yes it looks most rustic with all the charm of homemade written across it. It’s not one of the prettiest cakes I have ever baked by any means but the taste I can most certainly vouch for. It has a hidden seam in the centre of cinnamon, pecan nuts and demerara sugar and finishing with the same topping on the top. The sponge has a wonderful moistness to it having sour cream added to the mixture. A faint hint of vanilla lifts the taste buds then that rich creaminess of the sponge followed by a sweet cinnamon pecan crunch takes you to new heights. This cake would equally be nice served hot or cold and with custard, cream or ice cream, not forgetting that hot steamy cup of coffee to accompany!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Ingredients
100g (4 oz) unsalted butter
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
150ml (5 fl oz) sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g (4 oz) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
100g (4 oz) pecan nuts, chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
25g (1 oz) demerara sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Grease and base-line a deep 20cm (8 in) round cake tin and lightly dust with a little flour tapping out any excess flour.

Cream together the butter and caster sugar until fluffy and light in colour. Beat in the eggs a little at a time then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Carefully fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together the demerara sugar, nuts and cinnamon.

Spoon half the cake mixture into the prepared tin. Sprinkle over half the nut mixture. Add the remaining cake mixture and top with the remaining nut mixture.

Place in the preheated oven for about 35 – 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

This cake is equally as delicious served warm.

*Note* – granulated sugar could be substituted for demerara in this recipe.

Decadent Chocolate Orange Cake

Have you ever felt the urge for that sudden rush of chocolate ecstasy which takes you into chocoholic paradise? Then look no further than this decadent cake, I assure you one petite slice will do the trick. As a self confessed chocoholic myself, I have required that unadulterated fix of chocolate more times than I care to remember!

This cake has the wonderful combination of classic flavours of chocolate and orange. I didn’t want to make this a bitter tasting cake therefore I used good quality milk chocolate and also orange liqueur and orange zest. To enhance the texture and taste, I steeped raisins in a little orange liqueur to add to the cake mixture. Ground almonds are used with a very small amount of flour which keeps this cake wonderfully moist. The ganache for covering the cake is made from chocolate and cream but requires a little time to set after applying to the cake. This cake would be gorgeous for a special occasion or for that special person in your life!

Would anyone care for a slice of this cake??????? Ok, I hear you and passing over a virtual slice, but if you would like to recreate this cake for yourself here is the recipe.

Decadent Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients
50g (2 oz) raisins
4 tbsp orange liqueur – I used Cointreau
350g (12 oz) good quality milk chocolate – I used Green & Blacks
200g (7 oz) butter, at room temperature
175g (7 oz) caster sugar
5 large eggs
150g (5 oz) ground almonds
50g (2 oz) plain flour
For The Ganache
225g (8 oz) good quality milk chocolate – I used Green & Blacks
175g (6 oz) double cream
Sugar flowers or chocolate sprinkles (optional)
You will need a 20cm (8 in) sprinform tin, greased with a little butter and fully lined with baking paper.

Method

In a saucepan add the raisins and orange liqueur and gently heat through then leave aside for the raisins to swell and get plump.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave bowl for a minute or so or place over a double boiler until melted.

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time into the mixture then add the melted chocolate and orange zest. Then add the soaked raisins and juice and beat through the mixture. Fold in the ground almonds and flour gently until all traces are mixed through into the mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level off the surface with a spatula. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the centre is just set. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 – 20 minutes then turn out on a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the ganache, heat the cream up in a saucepan until bubbles are just appearing, take off the heat. Add the chocolate and let this infuse for 2 -3 minutes, then stir and combine thoroughly together. Spread over the entire cake and smooth off. Place a few sugar flowers or chocolate sprinkles on for decoration (optional). Allow to set before serving.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Maple Drizzle Icing

I really adore the American coffee cake, combinations of fruits/nuts/ spices /streusel toppings appear endless, and what joy this brings to be able to ring changes in flavours and this cake is simply baked off in a tube or bundt pan. Although this cake doesn’t contain coffee, it is named as such due to its pairing whilst drinking coffee, perfect at breakfast or anytime time of day!

Showing the seam of filling at the top and the scrummy maple syrup mmm...

This time around I baked my coffee cake in a normal 20cm (8 in) springform cake tin instead of the usual tube/ bundt cake shape. I have to tell you that this coffee cake has a moist crumb texture from the sour cream with a homemade apricot preserve, walnuts, soft brown sugar & cinnamon scrumptious filling, completed with a gorgeous maple syrup glaze – “oh boy this one scrumptious cake”, Mr R stated taking a second slice! *Giggle*.

Anyone for a taste of coffee cake?

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Maple Drizzle Icing

Homemade Apricot Preserve

Ingredients
!00g (4 oz) dried apricots, ready to eat
120ml (approx 4 fl oz) water
!00g (4 oz) caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

In a microwave bowl add all the ingredients and stir thoroughly. Place on full power in a microwave stirring a few times until the apricots are soft for 10 minutes. **Warning please becareful as any splashes to the skin may burn as the syrup will be very hot**. Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Leave aside to cool in a dish.

The Filling Ingredients
50g (2 oz) soft brown sugar
100g (4 oz) Walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
Apricot preserve, from recipe above - cooled

Place all the ingredients in a food processer and blitz 8 – 10 times making sure the mixture has a little crunchy texture from the nuts. Leave aside until later.

For The Sponge

225g (8 oz) plain flour
2½ tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
225g (8 oz) softened unsalted butter
225g (8 oz) caster sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1½ tsp vanilla extract
284ml (approx ½ pint) pot of sour cream
For The Maple Glaze
100g (4 oz) icing sugar, sifted
3 tbsp maple syrup

You will need a 2.25cm (10 in) bundt pan – greased well with butter and floured tipping the tin over and tapping the bottom to release the excess flour over the sink. You could also use a 20cm (8in) springform pan as I have, grease with butter and line the base with greaseproof paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a large bowl and leave aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time and thoroughly mix between each addition, then add the vanilla extract and mix through. Add the sour cream in three batches and mix thoroughly until fully combined. Fold in gently the sifted flour mixture until all traces of flour are incorporated. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula. With your fingers add the filling ingredients evenly around on top of the mixture. Lastly spoon the remaining sponge mixture over the top and level off with a spatula. Place into the preheated oven for 60 -65 minutes until fully baked or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 -15 minutes before turning the cake upside down to finish cooling. When cold place onto a serving plate.

To Make the Maple Syrup Glaze

In a small bowl add the sifted icing sugar and maple syrup and work through with a spoon until it makes a spoonable glaze. Taking a spoon drizzle the maple syrup glaze over the top and let it run down the sides of the sponge.