Christmas Pudding Recipe

This one is for the true hospitality booze and funaholics ;o)

Step 1 Macerate the fruit (yes I said Macerate... there's no 'b' in it)

Pick out 1kg of Dried Fruit/Glace Fruit/Fruit mince - use the stuff you like not premix

(2011 McPudd is going to be Dried Fig/Pear/Blueberry/Apricot/Sultana/Raisin crystallised Ginger with zest of a lemon. Shiny feral cherries are not to be seen!)

Hack it up so all is around the same size and add 2 cups of Dark Brown Sugar

Splosh over 500ml of your preferred Booze (this year is Brandy, but Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Drambuie, Glayva.... whatever floats your boat.)

Mix up your booze, sugar and fruit and leave it all to combine and become delicious for up to a week. I give it a daily stir.

Step 2 Puddin Day
250g Unsalted Butter
3 Cups breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Plain Flour
200ml Milk
8 Eggs

Rub butter crumbs and flour together until mix resembles sand.

Add milk & eggs and fold together until combined.

Add sweet delicious boozy fruit to mix and fold until combined.

Plop into an enorrrrrrrrrrrrmous pudding basin or pudding cloth... whatever (or two smaller pudding basins as I tend to do)

Steam for 5 hours (for 1 gigantic pudding) or less if mix is split.

Store safely til the big day.

On the big day resteam for approx 1 hr to get warm all the way through.
Once done pour a little extra booze over the top and dish up.

Stuff into face!

Xmas Pudd - stage 1

A bountiful bowlful of boozy brandy, brown sugar, blueberries, apricots, figs, ginger, pears and sultanas with a smidge of lemon zest.

Back next week with progress!

Moist & Sticky Chocolate Cake

This fab creation was made for a certain LUSH's birthday, while fabulously hungover!

Ingredients

Cake

• 250g Unsalted butter
• 300g Caster Sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla Essence
• 3 Eggs
• 200g Self-raising Flour
• 50g Cocoa Powder
• 100g Milk Choc Drops

Buttercream Icing

• 185g butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups icing sugar mixture
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

Method - Cake

1. Butter and line a cake tin, for this I used a 20cm round approx.
2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
3. Gently melt the butter in a large saucepan, cool for 5 mins
4. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs, to Melted butter then beat until smooth with a wooden spoon.
5. Stir in the flour, cocoa and ¼ tsp salt.
6. Stir in the milk chocolate drops and bake for 35 mins until risen all over and a skewer comes out with a few damp crumbs. ( cooking time will vary depending on tin size)

Method - Icing

1. Combine Butter, Icing Sugar, cocoa powder & Milk in a bowl and beat until well combined & creamy
2. Once caked has cooled ice, & decorate as necessary. We used shaved choc & choc biscuits

First Fondant Cake: Dad's 70th Birthday (November 2011)

Flourless Orange birthday cake with Vodka & Orange frosting

Ordered by the one and only mother after the success of the Lime cupcakes at the Reckoning of the Deckoning (aka Hubby's 40th). She's not a fan of the sweet stuff and approved of this cake last time. I think the appeal is in the whole fruit/zest/citrus oil thing.

It was meant to be flourless Orange Cake with Cointreau cream-cheese frosting.

Came out as flourless Orange Cake with Vodka/Orange frosting and candied Orange Zest due to lack of access to the Cointreau bottle at bake o'clock!

Verdict - deliciously filling

Apologies for the photo, only had the phone available while the cake was still whole!

Cooking Time

100 minutes

Ingredients (serves 12)

• Melted butter, to grease
• 2 oranges
• 3 eggs
• 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 150g (1.5 cups) almond meal
• 150g (1.5 cups) hazelnut meal

Vodka Orange Frosting & candied orange zest

• 1 orange
• 30ml Elderflower cordial
  
• 250g Cream cheese (softened)
  
• Icing sugar
• 45ml Vodka
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) springform pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line base with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place the oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes (this will reduce the bitterness of the peel). Refresh under cold water. Drain. Coarsely chop oranges. Remove and discard any seeds.

3. Place the orange in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

4. Add in eggs and sugar and process until combined and pale. Add wet mixture into nut meals and gently fold until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.

6. Meanwhile, to make the orange syrup, use a zester to remove the rind from the orange. (Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to peel the rind from orange. Use a small sharp knife to remove white pith. Cut rind into thin strips.) Juice orange.

7. Place rind in a saucepan with orange juice and Elderflower cordial. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until the syrup thickens.

8. Strain zest from syrup and set syrup aside. Cook zest well spread on baking paper in oven for approx 5 minutes then set aside to cool.

9. Whip together cream cheese, orange syrup and vodka until combined. Stir in sifted icing sugar until mix is stiff enough to hold shape. When cake is cool spread over the top and sprinkle candied orange zest on the top to finish.