Xmas cakes a gaga...Recipe coming....
Thank you to all those at Kakariki House who bought Xmas cakes this year. If you're eating one right now and you want to know what's in them so you can make one for yourself....read on!
As they appear pretty much word for word in the little 'Organics in Your Kitchen' recipe book by Ceres Organics for the Gluten, Dairy Free Amaranth Fruit Cake. And from a cafe in Paris, Rose Bakery comes a book 'Breakfast Lunch Tea' by Phaidon in which you will find the Traditional Xmas Cake recipe I used.
Fruit Cake (Christmas Cake)
Breakfast Lunch Tea, Rose Bakery.
Serves 6-8
250g sultanas
250g currants
130g raisins
100g chopped mixed oeek (candied mixed peel)
1 apple
3 tbsp marmalade
50ml whisky or brandy
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
125g unsalted butter, softened.
125g soft brown sugar
2 tbsp reacle or molases
3 eggs
150g plain flour, sifted.
100g ground almonds
1 round tsp ground cinnamon
1 round tsp ground mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
Combine the first 9 ingredients (to the orange) and soak overnight.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius.
Butter a 25cm cake tin and line its base and sides with parchment paper.
Beat the butter and sugar till they are light. Mis in the treacle, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in the flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, mixed spice and slat. Finally fold in the fruit mixture.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake about 1 1/2 hours.
Keep checking after 1 hour. When a knife inserted comes out clean, it is ready.
Remove form the oven and cool the cake in the tin. Take it out and wrap in foil till required.
Make sure you keep turning the cake to ensure the whisky or brandy spreads evenly through it.
(this last part I don't really get. Though I'm sure better and more experienced bakers than me will. Such a little amount of brandy used and all soaked up by the fruit anyway?? I have heard you pour more brandy/whisky over after it is finished and out of the oven and then again a few weeks later as you keep it for flavour and preservation. I poured over one measure in the cakes I made as they came out of the oven. I didn't turn and check them after that though. I also used salted butter and omitted the 1/2 tsp salt).
Amaranth Fruit Cake
Organics in the Kitchen. Ceres Organics
1 cup Amaranth
100g Raisins
100g sultanas
125g prunes, pitted and chopped
1 cup Ruby Grove Pomegranate Juice
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup honey
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
1/1/3 cups Buckwheat Flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup whole almonds
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius. Grease and line a 20cum square baking tin with paper
Cook amaranth in 4 cups of gently boiling water for 15 minutes. Stir regularly. Drain and set aside to cool.
Place dried fruits in a bowl. In a small saucepan, gently boil the pomegranate juice, oil and honey. Pour this over the dried fruits and leave to cool for about 30 minutes. Then stir in the eggs and cooled amaranth, breaking up any clumps. Sift in the flour, spices, baking powder and soda. Mix gently to just combine.
Spread bater tinto the baking tin. Press almonds in to the surface to decorate. Bake for 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin. Cut and serve.
(of course everything listed is organic and I'm sure you could use any honey, though they say Kamahi. And also any type of Pomegranate juice for that matter. Frankly you could use rice bran oil or other too. If you could leave out the eggs and perhaps include mashed banana and a tsp of vinegar you would have a very light, gluten free and absolutely Vegan cake (oh, except for the honey. Agave?)
