Tasty Recipes

Ingredients:

* 1/3 cup mashed bananas
* 1/2 cup butter
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cup water
* 3 cup unbleached flour
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* 2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 1/2 cup chopped dates

TOPPING:

* 1/3 cup chopped dates
* 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/3 cup flaked coconut

Recipe for Sugarless Christmas prune cake:

Beat together mashed bananas and butter until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and water. Now add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in dates. Pour the batter into 9x13 inch baking pan and spread evenly. Combine topping and sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Your sugarless Christmas prune cake is ready now

For the cake

75g dried cranberrries
150g lexia raisins (or other raisins)
5 tbsp brandy
250g plain chocolate
6 tbsp milk
1 tsp almond extract
175g unsalted butter
175g light muscavado sugar
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
150g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds
75g Brazil nuts, chopped

For the ganache

150g white chocolate
300ml double cream
1 tbsp brandy
cocoa powder, for dusting

1.Soak the cranberries and raisins in 2 tbsp brandy overnight.
2.Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Oil and base line a 20cm round loose bottomed cake tin.
3.Melt plain chocolate, milk and almond extract together in a bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.
4.In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs. Fold in flour, melted chocolate mixture, ground almonds, soaked fruit and Brazil nuts.
5.Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1-1 � hours (well that�s what the recipe says but we find it�s nearer 2 hours!) until a skewer comes out clean. Remove cake from tin, discard lining paper and cool completely on a wire rack. Then turn cake over, prick the base several times and drizzle over the remaining brandy, before turning upright again.
6.To make the ganache, melt the white chocolate. Allow to cool slightly. Lightly whip the double cream until just holding its shape. Fold in the brandy. Working quickly, gently fold the cream into the white chocolate until it�s well combined.
7.Spread the white chocolate mixture over the tops and sides of the cake and smooth with a knife. Allow the ganache to set and then dust with the cocoa powder and tie a gold ribbon around if you wish!

A tip: Make the cake the day before you want to serve it and once it is cooled keep it in the fridge wrapped in foil. The next day, decorate it and serve. This makes sure the cake is nice and dense and not crumble, which it will be if you eat it on the day you cook it.

Ingredients

12 oz plain flour,
1 tsp cinnamon,
1 tsp mixed spice,
A pinch of salt,
4 oz candied peel,
4 oz cherries,
2 lb dried fruits,
4 oz blanched almonds,
4 eggs,
4 tbsp sherry,
Finely grated 1 lemon,
8 oz margarine,
8 oz sugar,
1 tbsp black treacle, and
A closet with a lock (to keep it safe from children until the C-Day).
Method

* Sieve together all the dry ingredients.
* Mix the peel, fruit, cherries, chopped almonds and lemon rind.
* Whisk the eggs and sherry together.
* Beat the margarine, sugar and black treacle until soft.
* Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately to the margarine little by little till it has a thick paste consistency.
* Stir in the fruit mixture.
* Put into an 8-9 inch tin, lined with greaseproof paper round the sides and at the bottom.
* Now, tie a double band of brown paper round the outside of the rim, standing well up above the top of it.
* Put in the middle of a hot oven. Bake for 3 1/4-3 1/2 hours at gas mark 3 for the first 1 1/2 hours, and then decrease to gas mark 2 for the remainder.
* Cool the cake in the tin, then store in an airtight container.
* Can be served hot or cold with custard or double cream respectively.

Charm everyone with these pretty little cupcakes with little Christmas trees sitting atop them. You will be surprised at how easy it is to make them and how fast you can whip up batches to feed a crowd! Whipped cream and one single icing tip is all you need to make these.

Christmas Tree Cupcakes - Christmas Cupcake Decorating IdeasWhat You Will Need:

• Cupcakes, any flavor
• Sweetened Whipped Cream
• Green Food Coloring
• Chopped candied fruit, red

Equipment Need:

• Icing Bag
• Open Star Icing Tip

How To:

1. Whip whipping cream till stiff peaks form.

2. Reserve some plain white icing for the floret border and add a tiny drop of green food color to the rest.

3. Mix the color into the cream very lightly to get a marbled effect.

4. Spread this icing on each cupcake with an icing knife or spatula.

Making the Trees

1. Mix in green food coloring to the remaining icing to make the trees.

2. Fit an icing bag with an open star tip (No. 17 or 18) and fill the bag with the green whipped cream.

3. To start making the trees, pipe out cream in center of the cupcake and bring outwards. For the first few lines, bulge out the icing in the center and then bring out. This will give the base of the tree some height for the other ‘branches’ to stand.

Floret Border:

With the same icing tip and plain white whipping cream, make little florets all around the edge of the cupcake.

Pipe out cream and press slightly on the same place to form a little floret. Make florets close to each other all around the rim.

Decorations:

1. Sort out red colored candied fruit from a mixed pack or use dried red berries.

2. Chop them up and puck into the trees to make tree decorations.

Tips:

Whether preparing for your family or for a party, assembly line is the best way to get these done quick and well. Spread cream icing on all cupcakes first and then make trees on all of them.

Try making the trees and florets on a plate first. Once you get the hang of it, start making them on the cupcakes.