Christmas spice cake in a jar

Photo by Steve Shanahan

This version of a pre-packaged cake mix is a great Christmas gift. It is easy to assemble and is a practical and helpful gift to give to busy people. The only additions needed to complete the cake mix are the wet ingredients.

To assemble the cake mix in the jar, use a medium sized jar that has been sterilised, by boiling in a saucepan of water for fifteen minutes. The jar should have an airtight seal to keep the cake ingredients fresh. The ingredients you will need are below.

2 cups self raising flour

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground Dutch cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp grated nutmeg

½ cup dutch cocoa

pinch of salt

Measure and sift the flour and salt and then in a separate bowl, measure and sift the cocoa and spices together.

Starting with the sugar, layer the ingredients according to their density with the heaviest at the bottom.

Press down on the ingredients as you layer them, so they remain in their layers for presentation. As you place each layer in the jar, brush down the sides with a dry pastry brush.

Then add the sifted flour in its layer topping with the cocoa and spices.

Give the sides of the jar a final brush down, then seal and decorate the jar with a label and ribbon.

To provide the method to make the cake, I printed the instructions below on a piece of thick paper and rolled it up in a scroll and tied it onto the lid with the ribbon.

Avoid shaking the jar to keep the ingredients in their layers.

 *******************************************************************************************************

Christmas Spice Loaf  

All dry ingredients have been prepared in correct quantities for you to easily prepare the Christmas Spice loaf. You will only need a bowl and a wooden spoon to mix the cake. The ingredients contain no artificial colours or preservatives and the only extra ingredients you will need to make the cake are

·       ⅓ cup golden syrup

·       1 cup of milk and

·       1 cup of water.

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 23 centimetre x 10 centimetre loaf tin. Dump the entire jar of cake mixture ingredients into a large mixing bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the milk, water and golden syrup and mix to a smooth paste. The mixture should fall in a ribbon from the spoon. Pour the mixture into the greased loaf tin, and slam on the bench top to remove bubbles.  Reduce oven temperature to 150C and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Insert a skewer to come out clean to check if it is cooked.

This cake keeps best in an airtight container for about one week and gets better with age.

Pineapple upside-down cake

Photo by Steve shanahan

First published Canberra Times 9 October 2013

I wonder where the family bonfires on cracker night, the aussie-hacienda style architecture and the olive green and burnt orange kitchen laminate have gone. I suspect relegated to the same place as the pineapple upside down cake and such things. 

I have a vivid memory of my aunt arriving at our house, wearing her cat-eye sunglasses andvspotted sundress, stepping delicately out of her Holden EH, Jackie O-style,clutching a Tupperware cake server. We knew what was in the cake server, the ultimate treat – the caramelised, sticky, pineapple upside down cake. Like all good housewives of the day, she had stocked up on tins of pineapple rings to make this exotic delight.

This cake is best left for a day for flavours to infuse.

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

can of sliced pineapple rings

6 maraschino cherries

6 pecans

1 cup plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs, separated

1 cup white sugar

5 tbsp pineapple juice, from the tin

1 tsp vanilla paste

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Prepare a twenty-three centimetre cake tin by adding the butter to the cake tin and placing inside the warming oven until melted, this should take a few minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Place six pineapple rings evenly over the sugar and place a cherry inside each pineapple ring. Fill the spaces between the rings with a pecan.

In a medium bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder and salt, and stir.

Using a hand mixer, in a metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites on high until peaked. Set aside.

Using an electric stand mixer beat the egg yolks with the sugar at medium speed until light and creamy. Add the pineapple juice and vanilla extract and beat well. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and beat together until well combined. Fold in the egg whites using a metal spoon or rubber spatula. Pour the cake mixture evenly over the fruit, and smooth off with a spatula.

Bake the cake for thirty minutes, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place the cooked cake on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Run a blunt knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Invert carefully onto a plate, as the juices will run out. Serve warm with cream or at room temperature. This cake improves with age. 

Paprika chicken and pineapple salad

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times October 9 2013.

 

The buzzing chorus of Sunday lawnmowers and the competing cicada crescendo leave you in no doubt that summer is just around the corner. 

Add to the din the sizzle of lunch grilling on the backyard barbeque, and Mum calling out from the kitchen for someone to check that the meat doesn’t burn, makes my Sunday complete.

As the deliciously crisp offerings make their way to the table and the dog follows with his nose expectantly upturned, the unmistakeable aroma of sweet cooked pineapple floats in the air.

For those who love their pineapple cooked, this one is for you. The barbeque caramelises the sugars in this tropical delight, and makes a perfect partner to onion, basil and coconut.

Best served with a barbequed meat, but my vote goes to pre-marinated

Paprika Grilled Chicken.

Pineapple salad

1 ripe whole pineapple, sliced into 2cm thick rings

2 medium red onions, sliced into thick rings, keeping them intact.

1 lemon, juice and zest

4 tbsp olive oil

12 basil leaves

4 tbsp shredded coconut

2 tbsp chopped green shallots

Preheat the barbeque to a medium heat.

Drizzle the pineapple slices and onion rings with the olive oil. Grill the pineapple and onion rings until golden and the grill marks appear on the softened flesh. This will take about five to six minutes each side. They should be lightly charred.

Slice the pineapple into chunks and chop the onion rings, then combine in a serving bowl. Add the basil leaves, shallots and coconut before drizzling with lemon juice and a light sprinkle of lemon zest. Toss before serving warm or at room temperature.

Paprika chicken

6 boneless chicken thighs

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp Tamari or low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tsp smoky paprika

1 clove chopped garlic

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp sea salt

ground pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

Setting the chicken aside, mix all of the marinade ingredients together, and pour into a resealable bag or large bowl. Place the chicken thighs in the bag, or bowl, seal the bag and rub to coat the chicken with the marinade. Leave for a few hours to infuse and massaging the chicken occasionally to distribute the marinade.

Preheat the barbeque to a medium heat.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Grill until the chicken has cooked about seven minutes per side, checking for doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.