My Grandmothers Christmas cake
Mor-Mor’s Christmas cake
2018-06-04 23:03:13
9 inch baking tin
Total Time
4 hr
Ingredients
- Currants. I'lb. 450 grams
- Sultanas. I'lb. 450 grams
- Raisins . 10 ozs. 275 grams
- Mixed Peel. 4 ozs. 100 grams
- Ground Almonds 3 ozs 75 grams
- Glacé Cherries. 6 ozs. 175 grams
- Lemon Peel grated of 1 and a half Lemons.
- Orange Peel grated of 1 Orange.
- Butter. 10 ozs. 275 grams.
- Soft Dark Brown Sugar. 10 ozs 275 grams.
- Eggs. 5.
- Brandy 4 tablespoons.
- Black Treacle. 1 and a half tablespoons.
- S.R. Flour. 3 ozs. 75 grams.
- Plain Flour 8 ozs 225 grams.
- Ground Cinnamon. 1 teaspoon.
- Mixed Spice. Three quarters of a teaspoon.
- Ground Nutmeg pinch
Instructions
- Place all the dried fruit mixed Peel in a Bowl together with the Ground Almond.
- Wash and dry the Cherries then add these together with the citrus Peel with the fruit.
- In another( large) bowl cream together the Butter Sugar and Treacle until light and fluffy.
- Sift the flours with the Spices.
- Beat the Eggs one at a time into the creamed mixture adding 2 tablespoons of flour alternately with the Brandy.
- Mix in the dried Fruit mixture.
- Give a good stir and make a Wish!
- Spread into the Tin for baking.
- In the Oven on 150 C for 3 Hours.
- Your Cake Tin should be double lined inside and 3 layers of Brown Paper tied round the Outside. Important this!
- Bake in the middle of the Oven for 3 Hours.
- I alway's check the cake after two and a half hours, not all ovens are the same, stick a wooden pin in the cake, if it comes out clean Done.
- Just so you know I don't sift my flours, just me being lazy!
Notes
- Well it's that time of year again when we need to start thinking about baking our Christmas cakes so I asked someone with lots of experience for help. Every year my Mor-Mor (Grandmother) bake Christmas cakes for the family. This year I think she has made 3 normal and 1 gluten free one for various family members. They are always made with love and with a wish stirred in!
- If you like the cake extra moist feed it with brandy every now and then before the big day. (if you don't like alcohol replace it in the recipe with orange juice)
- You can decorate it anyway you choose, I like it the traditional way with marzipan and royal icing. I will post some recipes for them soon .
- I think it is a great thing to be able to share family recipes and I'm very honoured and proud to share this one with you all. With big thanks to my Mor-Mor! The rest of what you read is her writing.
- Well here goes this one is for a nine inch cake tin.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Flourless chocolate cake
Flourless chocolate cake
2018-06-04 23:11:09
Serves 8
Gluten free chocolate cake
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
- 5 eggs separated
- 250g of dark chocolate
- 250g butter
- 250g light brown fine sugar
Instructions
- First of all melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. If you are brave you can do it in the microwave but make sure you check it a give it a stir every 30 seconds until melted.
- Then whisk your egg whites till stiff and and gradually add in half the sugar one spoon at a time whisking 20 seconds with every addition. Once this is done whisk up your egg yolks with the remaining sugars until light and fluffy.
- When your eggs are whipped add the chocolate mixture is cooled mix it into the yolks then fold in the whites with a metal spoon till all is evenly mixed.
- Place it in a buttered cake tin with a removable base and bake in a fan oven at 160c for about 50mins. Test with a tooth pick to see if it is cooked , if pick comes out clean your done!
- The cake will fall in the center don't panic this is what should happen. Cool the cake in the tin. Remove once cool and decorate with a drizzle of melted chocolate and some fruit or just dust with cocoa and a bit of icing sugar
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Lemon curd tarts
Lemon curd tarts
2016-07-05 23:42:16
Ingredients
- Ready made mini sweet pastry cases
- 1 jar ready made lemon or orange curd
- 1 pot whipping cream
Instructions
- Half the cream in a bowl and whip it up then fold in your lemon/ orange curd.
- Fill a piping bag or ziploc with the filling and pipe into pastry cases.
- You can top these with fresh berries or whip up.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Mini banoffee pies
Mini banoffee pies
2016-07-05 23:40:50
Ingredients
- Ready made mini sweet pastry cases
- 1 Can condensed milk
- 2 Bananas
- 1 pot whipping cream
Instructions
- Boil the tin of condensed milk unopened in a pot making sure that it stays covered with water for 2 hours!
- Once cooled down open and put contents into a piping bag.
- If you don’t have a piping bag put in a ziplock bag and cut off the corner.
- Pipe in enough filling to half fill each case then top with a few slices of banana.
- Whip up your cream and top each one then shave on a bit of dark chocolate on each one to make it look nice!
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Coconut and mango creme
Coconut and mango creme
2016-07-05 23:18:36
Serves 4
Cook Time
45 min
Ingredients
- 250ml coconut milk
- 250ml double cream
- 6 egg yolks
- 80g caster sugar
- 50g demerara sugar
- 1 ripe mango
Instructions
- Heat the coconut milk, double cream and a pinch of salt until just before boiling point.
- Set aside and cool for 10 mins.
- Meanwhile beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until light and fluffy and preheat the oven to 150°C (fan 130°C, gas mark 2).
- Cut your mango into small chunks and divide between your ramekins.
- Beat the coconut milk and double cream into the egg mixture and pour into 6 x 150ml ramekins until two-thirds full.
- Place the ramekins in a roasting tin half-filled with hot water, cover the whole thing with foil and bake for 40-45 mins.
- Remove from the oven, cool, then chill for 2-3 hrs.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Healthy blueberry muffins
Healthy blueberry muffins
2016-07-05 22:39:47
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 225g self-raising flour
- 115g wholemeal four
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Zest of 1⁄2 lemon and 1 tsp juice
- 85g golden caster sugar
- 50g light muscovado sugar
- 1 small very ripe banana with black skin (about 85g peeled weight)
- 1 egg
- 284ml pot buttermilk
- 225g fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Use 1 tsp oil to lightly oil a 12-hole muffin tin (or use paper cases).
- Mix both flours with the baking powder and lemon zest. Reserve 1 tbsp caster sugar, then stir the rest into the flour with the muscovado.
- Mash the banana well. In another bowl beat the egg, then stir in the banana, buttermilk and oil.
- Using a large metal spoon, very lightly stir into the flour mix, just to combine.
- Over-mixing will make the muffins tough.
- Toss in the blueberries and give just a few turns of the spoon to carefully stir them in without crushing.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin - each hole should be very full.
- Bake for 20-25 mins until risen and golden.
- Mix the reserved caster sugar with the lemon juice.
- When the muffins are done, remove from the oven, then brush with the sugar and lemon mixture while they are still hot.
- Gently loosen the edges of each muffin with a knife, then leave in the tin for 15 mins to cool a little as they're very delicate while hot.
- Remove to a wire rack.
Tina's tip
- Best eaten the day of making, but will keep for up to 2 days.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Orange Polentina
Orange Polentina
2016-07-04 23:40:46
Serves 4
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
- 1 medium orange
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup instant polenta or fine cornmeal
- 1/4 cup mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)
- 1/4 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh
- Tarragon (optional)
Instructions
- Zest the orange to get 1 1/2 teaspoons; set the zest aside.
- Remove the rest of the peel and white pith with a sharp knife.
- Working over a bowl, cut the segments from their surrounding membranes. Set aside for garnish.
- Combine water, milk and salt in a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta (or cornmeal) and return to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain an even bubble and whisk until the polentina thickens, 1 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine mascarpone, yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon of the orange zest in a small bowl.
- Whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons honey and the remaining 1 teaspoon zest into the polentina.
- Divide among 4 bowls and top with a dollop of the mascarpone topping.
- Garnish with the reserved orange segments and sprinkle with tarragon, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Pancakes
Pancakes
2016-07-04 23:34:24
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cinnamon if you like
- 2 bananas or cup blue berries or both!
Instructions
- Separate the eggs into two bowls.
- With the egg yolks add your flour oats, baking powder, salt and milk.
- In the other bowl whisk up the egg whites till stiff and then fold into the other mixture.
- Heat up a pan with a bit of oil and add a spoonful of the mixture then add a few slices of banana and a few berries to the top.
- When it has started to set flip it over and keep warm in the oven while you make the rest!
- Enjoy with some honey or syrup and creme fresh!
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Lemon drizzle cake
Lemon drizzle cake
2016-06-30 02:02:33
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
40 min
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
Cake
- 75ml rapeseed oil or sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin
- 175g self-raising flour
- 11⁄2 tsp baking powder
- 50g ground almonds
- 50g polenta
- finely grated zest 2 lemons
- 140g golden caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 225g natural yogurt
Lemon syrup
- 85g caster sugar
- Juice of 2 lemons (about 5 tbsp)
Cake
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Lightly oil a 20cm round x 5cm deep cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
- For the cake, put the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and polenta in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the lemon zest and sugar, then make a dip in the centre.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the yogurt.
- Tip this mixture along with the oil into the dip (see step-by-step number 1), then briefly and gently stir with a large metal spoon so everything is just combined, without over mixing.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top.
- Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Cover loosely with foil for the final 5-10 mins if it starts to brown too quickly.
Lemon syrup
- While the cake cooks, make the lemon syrup.
- Tip the caster sugar into a small saucepan with the lemon juice and 75ml water.
- Heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Raise the heat, boil for 4 mins until slightly reduced and syrupy, then remove from the heat.
To finish
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool briefly in the tin.
- While it is still warm, turn it out of the tin, peel off the lining paper and sit the cake on a wire rack set over a baking tray or similar.
- Use a skewer to make lots of small holes all over the top of the cake.
- Slowly spoon over half the lemon syrup and let it soak in.
- Spoon over the rest in the same way, brushing the edges and sides of the cake too with the last of the syrup.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Sticky Toffee Pudding
2016-06-30 01:38:17
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Cake
- 2 oz /56 g softened butter
- 6 oz /170 g granulated sugar
- 6 oz /170 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 6 oz / 170 g stoned dates
- 1/2 pint boiling water
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Toffee
- 5 oz / 142 g brown sugar
- 3 oz / 85 g butter
- 4 tbsp double cream
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugar, sift flour and baking powder.
- Beat the eggs and whisk into the butter mixture then slowly add the flour.
- Flour the dates lightly and finely chop them and pour on the boiling water then mix in the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla. Add this mixture to the batter and mix well.
- Put the mix into a buttered baking tin (11”x 7”) and bake for about 30 mins at f 350 - 325.
- For the toffee heat the brown sugar butter and cream in a pan for about 3 minutes until it bubble and changes colour a bit.
- Pour over the cooked cake and put under the grill until it bubbles, watch that it does not burn!
- Serve with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.
Tina's Cooks https://tinascooks.com/
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