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Alison and Simon Holst's "Easy Mix Christmas cake"

1kg fruit cake mix or whatever dried fruit you like to use
1/2C dark rum / sherry / port / whisky / fruit juice / cold tea
150g butter (I use 120ml canola oil instead)
2C plain or high grade flour - unsifted
1C sugar
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I omit)
1/4C golden syrup
1/2C milk
2 large or 3 small eggs

Put the fruit in a large unpunctured plastic bag with the liquid of choice (go with the booze - it takes it to a whole new dimension!). Close bag, lie flat so most of the fruit comes in contact with the liquid and leave to stand in a warm place for 24 - 48 hrs until the fruit has soaked up all the liquid. If you want to cheat and not wait, lie the almost closed bag flat in the microwave, heat on full power for a minute then flip the bag and heat for another minute. Cool on a cold surface. Cool properly before proceeding. Turn oven on to 180 degrees.Line the bottom and sides of the tin with baking paper or non stick liner. Cut or rub the cubed, cold butter into flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stand golden syrup tin in hot water to make it easier to work with. Measure golden wsyrup using a hot wet cup then stir into the milk in another bowl. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Place fruit mixture into a large bowl. Add flour and golden syrup mixtures then mix everything until thoroughly combined Turn mixture into prepared tin and level top of mixture. Decorate the top with almonds, cherries etc if not intending to ice cake. A larger shallower cake will take 1 1/2 - 2 hrs or a smaller deeper cake 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hrs depending on oven. Insert a skewer down to the bottom of cake and when it comes out clean cake is done. If in doubt cook an extra 15 - 30 mins. Cool in tin. Polish almonds with a little oil. I always use layers of newspaper on the outside of cake tin as I find the top tends to cook and possibly burn before the inside of cake is done but this is an individual preference. This is a lovely recipe and as mentioned previously I double mixture and cook two cakes at once.

Just bringing this to the top so Suse sees the recipe.

Well there certainly are soem tasty treats there!! It's funny, I love Christmas sooo much, my house already looks like Santa's grotto and yet thsi year it just doesn't have that same spark although due to a redundancy this year I have been pushed into starting my own business which is a gift company and have been buyign for xmas since April so perhaps that has something to do with it lol!! Its great to read you all getting into it as it's realyl not that far away now ha!!

If I can offer a bit of a plug I have just built a website where you can get all your gifts for everyone, have them wrapped and delivered free of charge (delivery free until 10th of Dec only) - no more craziness at the malls etc, just great gifts in no time! To check out what I have put together go to www.raptonline.co.nz and check it out!

I always put a wet newspaper on the rack under the baking tin too AJ. I believe it helps to stop the cake from drying out during the long cooking time. I have made the same cake for years too. you tend to stick with a recipe that has worked for you, but this recipe of yours sounds nice too. I might just make one of them myself .
I don't know if anyone saw the woman making the Russian Christmas cake ( Mazurka) on the Good Morning show on
Monday ? It was very easy and quick to make, and looked really yummy as she cut it up into thin slices for eating afterwards. I though I would do one of them as well, because it it reminded me of a cake a friend of mine used to make only she called hers "stained Glass Window cake" It was full of red and green and yellow.... cherries, angelica , glace pineapple and other fruits, that it was exactly what it did look like too, when it was thinly sliced. Has anyone heard of the Stained glass Window cake before ? I suppose I should google it ...

Thanks AJ ~ will try that recipe when work craziness settles down. The cakes won't get made for another week or so so won't be as mature as had they been baked when I intended.

The latest Australian Women's Weekly has fantastic and easy Christmas recipes. One I have tried and can *****HIGHLY**** recommend is for Chrismas Pudding Truffles. Yummy, easy as and fantastic for gifts for neighbours/colleagues/standbys etc in cellophane. (I buy festive paper bowls from $2 shop and bring cellophane up and over and tie with a ribbon flourish.

1 small Christmas pudding ~ shop bought even!
1/2 cup brandy, rum or liquor (or essence I guess if you want non-alco)
1 x 375 g packet of dark choco melts
half packet of white choco melts
red and green glace cherries ~ or soft red and green gummuy lollies (maybe Jaffas) to decorate

Crumble the pudding in a microwave proof bowl. Poor over brandy and microwave on high for 4-5 mins. Mix well and when cool enough to handle, roll into walnut size balls. Chill in freezer for at least an hour.
Melt dark choco. Dip cold truffles in the the melt mix and allow to set on baking paper.
Melt white choco and drizzle over top and down the sides. Decorate with red and green sweets ~ you could just use coloured or silver/gold/whatever sprinkles.
Store in container but not in fridge as that makes the chocolate sweat.

Gorgeous and so easy.

Thanks Sue. Last year I was given a packet of bought miniscule Christmas pudding truffles . They were all individually wrapped and were made in Australia and were rich and delicious. I have been keeping an eye out for them myself this year, but maybe I will have a shot at making them instead.
I came across this recipe the other day which admittedly is still on 'to do ' list, but it looks attractive in the coloured picture, and is simple and I would think fail proof.
Tutti Frutti Christmas Treats
200gr white chocolate broken into chunks
125 gr butter diced
150 gr mult coloured glace fruits (red green and yellow cherries. )
50 gr dried cranberries.
6 rich tea biscuits. ( Whatever they are - i am going to use something like Tennis or Marie )

Plade the chocolate and butter in a bowl and carefully melt together over a pan of gently simmering water .
rinse the cherries in a sieve to take away the stickiness and pat dry, then plade on a chopping board and chop into small pieced before adding them to the bowl of combined chocolate and butter along with the cranberries. Place the biscuits in a sandwich bag and bash with a rilling pin until you have fine crumbs . Add to other ingredients and mix everything together .
Line a small cake tin with cling wrap and tip in the mixture. Place another piece of cling wrap over the top and press down with a potato masher to level out the surface. Ideally you kneed the mixture to be 2 - 3 cm thick, so if the tim is too big, press the mix down into one end of the tin only and fold the film over to hold in place. Leave in fridge for a few hours to set, before turning onto a board and cutting into small squares.

You could use any dried fruits and nuts in this mixture I reckon. I have some finely chopped apricots in the fridge which I will put in mine as I only have red and green cherries in stock now too. For ginger lovers even some finely chopped glace ginger could be good too.

OOh,...tempting recipes ladies,

I am so lazy,...bought my Christmas Shortbread from Baker Boys, one lot plain,..the other with cherries & almonds. Yummy.