Boiled Pineapple Fruit Cake

Not many of you may know this quirky fact about me, in fact there are many things I have not disclosed LOL!!!  This fact however was very pivotal my teenage years.  I grew up living on a golf course... yep a golf course.  My parents were caretakers by night, which meant we lived on the golf course and looked after the property outside of business hours.

The golf course itself was an 18 hole public golf course complete with a historic homestead, our house, a golf shop and a cafe.  My mam worked in the cafe which was perfect as she walked out the back gate and into her workplace.

One of the cakes that was baked at Sandringham Golf Course's cafe was a  Pineapple Boiled Fruit Cake and it was always a star in the cake cabinet. No fancy icing or decorations just fruit cake, moist, sweet and delicious and well enjoyed by many a golfer.

I decided to make recreate this cake... I did actually have the original recipe once but it has been misplaced somewhere in my travels so here is my take on what I can remember.

Boiled Pineapple Fruit Cake

Serves: 12 - 16

150 grams butter, coarsely cubed

1 cup brown sugar

440 grams can crushed pineapple

500 grams mixed dried fruit

100 grams candied cherries, chopped

2 tablespoons brandy

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup flour

1 cup self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius or 150 degrees Celsius fan forced.

Grease a 20 cm round cake tin and line the base with nonstick baking paper.

Place butter, sugar, pineapple and juice in a saucepan, then stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Stir in dried fruit and brandy and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl to completely cool.

Stir in the eggs.

Then stir in the flours, baking soda and spices, sifted together.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface.

Bake for 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool cake in the tin before turning out.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Steamed Christmas Pudding

This steamed Christmas Pudding also seems to have become a tradition with everyone requesting it each year.  Even though we didn't host Christmas at home this year Vicky requested that this be our contribution to the celebration at their house.  I was only to happy to make it as it is quite easy although the cooking is the time consuming part of the process.

This is such a moist pudding - full of flavour and very morish.

Another recipe that I will not publish ProPoints for but will maybe look at next year modifying to lessen the blow!!  LOL!!

Steamed Christmas Pudding

Serves: 12 - 16

ProPoints: Danger Beware

1 kilogram Mixed Dried Fruit

2 cups fresh orange juice, no added sugar

1 teaspoon bircabonate of soda

1/2 cup brandy

400 grams unsalted butter, softened

2 cups soft brown sugar

6 large eggs

2 cups self raising flour, sifted

4 cups fresh breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon mixed spice

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

Combine fruit, orange juice and bicarbonate of soda in a large saucepan and simmer for 3 - 4 minutes until liquid has almost evaporated and fruit is plump.  Remove from heat.

Add brandy, mix well and allow to cool.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold in remaining ingredients along with fruit.

Grease a 2 litre pudding steamer/dish with butter and line base with a circle of baking paper.  Spoon in mixture.  Pleat a piece of baking paper to cover top of pudding.  Secure with lid (if you have) or cover with 2 layers of oil, securing edges tightly with string.

Fill a large saucepan with water.  Place an upturned small plate or saucer in the bottom.  Put pudding on the saucer, ensuring thatwater comes halfway up the sides of the pudding bowl.  Cover with lid and bring to the boil.  Boil for 4 hours, adding more hot water as the level drops.

Gently invert pudding onto a plate.

To reheat place in microwave for 5 - 8 minutes. 

(Click here for a printable version of the recipe)