Today I’m sharing my much-requested and very special Amazing Christmas Cake recipe. This cake’s history dates back to World War II when eggs were hard to come by, so it is interestingly egg-free. It has now been in my family for several generations and I’ve made a few tweaks to the original recipe but luckily everyone seems to approve of my version. I go back to this cake time and time again because it has such amazing flavour and texture. It cuts well, even when freshly made, so it’s also a good one to make last-minute if you didn’t get around to making a cake in October! I like a lovely tall cake, so I use a 20cm round cake tin. However, if you use a 22-24cm cake tin then your cake will be less high and may take only 2 hours 10 minutes to cook.
225 g butter, cubed
1 cup hot water
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 kg dried fruit (I like an even mix of currants, raisins and sultanas)
395 g can sweetened condensed milk
1 level tsp baking soda
¼ cup dry sherry (or whisky or brandy, as preferred)
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g (2¼ cups) self-raising flour, sifted
Whole natural almonds, to decorate
Brandy, rum or whisky, to feed (see note, below)
Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-bake). Line the base and sides of a deep-sided 20-cm round cake tin with two layers of non-stick baking paper – make sure the paper is higher than the sides of the cake tin, as the cake will rise higher than the top of the cake tin.
Place butter, hot water, vinegar, cinnamon, mixed spice and dried fruit into a large saucepan and bring just to the boil, stirring regularly until butter melts.
Remove from the heat and stir in condensed milk and baking soda (expect the mixture to foam). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Add sherry and vanilla to the cooled fruit mixture and stir in flour. Spread mixture into the prepared cake tin. Arrange almonds on top, pressing them in lightly.
Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from the tin.
Note: To store any fruitcake, wrap tightly in a double layer of greaseproof paper and store in a cool place. ‘Feed’ the cake at intervals (say once a week) by poking the cake all over with a skewer, then drizzling with a little brandy, rum or whisky, so that it soaks in through the holes and permeates the cake with flavour.
Recipe and photos © Julie Le Clerc 2023
First published in Feast @ Home, by Julie Le Clerc and later published in Julie Le Clerc’s Favourite Cakes (both books published by Penguin Books NZ).
Feijoa season is short but sweet…
Cook up a heavenly treat using some of the best fruits of autumn: feijoas. Although these fruits require no work to eat fresh and at their best, when cooked they are transformed into warm, sticky, translucent, sweet creations. Feijoas have a natural affinity with pastry, butter, sugar, cream, coconut, dried fruits, nuts and spices, so lend themselves beautifully to sweet muffins, cakes and comforting puddings. Originally cultivated in South America, the feijoa is now a classic New Zealand fruit that seems to be grown in nearly every second back garden. Here’s my most favourite Feijoa cake recipe for you to try.
LITTLE FEIJOA AND COCONUT CAKES
While the cakes cook the slices of feijoas caramelise giving the fruit a more intense flavour that is further heightened by the tangy lemon syrup. If you like feijoas then you will find these cakes truly scrumptious.
Makes 6
100g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup fine desiccated coconut
3/4 cup plain flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
4 feijoas, peeled and sliced
1 Preheat oven to 160°C fan bake. Grease and lightly dust with flour 6 x 1 cup capacity cake tins.
2 In a bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in coconut, sifted flour and baking powder. Spoon mixture into prepared cake tins. Arrange a few feijoa slices over the surface of each cake.
3 Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool cakes in tins. Once cold, remove cakes from tins and saturate with hot lemon syrup (recipe follows).
LEMON SYRUP:
Makes 1 1/2 cups
Juice of 6 lemons
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 To make the lemon syrup, place all ingredients in a saucepan.
2 Bring to the boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer hard for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick and syrupy.
There’s a magic about the alchemy of combining eggs whites and sugar to create fluffy, whipped peaks of white meringue. This magic, combined with nostalgia and a big dollop of deliciousness are the reasons why the great Kiwi Pavlova holds such a special place in our hearts as our most loved egg-based dessert.My twist on this wonderful tradition is the individual Pavlova. Made with brown sugar, these Pavs have a caramel taste and gooey texture that guarantees they will be a memorable treat and a highlight of any celebration.
Individual brown sugar Pavlovas with mango, passionfruit and toasted coconut
Makes 12
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half
400ml thickened cream, to serve
1 mango, thinly sliced
Preserved passion fruit, in syrup (available from supermarkets)
Toasted fresh coconut, or threads (see chef’s trick)
Preheat oven to 130°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar, whisking continuously until the mixture is very thick and glossy.
Add brown sugar, whisking well until dissolved. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and whisk seeds into the meringue mixture.
Spoon mixture onto prepared baking trays to make 12 mounds. Bake for 1.5 hours (do not open the oven door during this time). Turn the oven off and leave Pavlovas in the oven to cool completely.
Spoon cream on top of Pavlovas, top with sliced mango, passion fruit pulp and toasted coconut.
Chef’s trick: Buy a whole fresh coconut and break it open to remove the flesh. Using a vegetable peeler, peel thin strips of coconut. Place on a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Alternatively, toast desiccated thread coconut in the same manner.
