Cakes and Puddings for A Happy Christmas

Here are some great recipes to enjoy in your holiday season.

THE INGREDIENTS
Eggs: The large 60g eggs are used in all recipes. Have eggs at room temperature when making the cake or pudding.
Butter: Have butter at room temperature so that it is easier to cream.
Sugar: Brown or black sugar can be used in the recipes  which specify brown sugar. Black sugar is darker than brown and, make a richer colour to the cake; black sugar is available from health food stores. Always sift the sugar before incorporating it with other ingredients to remove any coarse lumps.

1st RECIPE: WHISKY PECAN CAKE

250g raisins
125g dates
125g glace cherries
60g mixed peel
1cup whiskey
185g butter
1.5 cups brown sugar
5 eggs
250g pecan nuts
2.5 cups plain flour
0.5 cup self raising flour
2 table spoons whiskey (extra)

Chops raisin and dates, halves cherries, combine with peel and whiskey, cover, stand two days. Cream butter with sugar until just combined, beat eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture might curdle at this stage, but will reconstitute after flour is added. Add creamed mixture to fruit mixture. Reserve some of the pecan halves for decorating top of cake, add remaining whole pecans to fruit mixture; mix well. Stir in sifted flours in two lots. spread mixture into  lined deep 20cm square or 23 cm round cake tin, (bring paper 5 cm above edge of tin), bake in slow oven 3 hours. Sprinkle with extra whiskey when cake is cooked, cover cake with aluminium foil, leave until cold. Re wrap cake (leaving lining paper intact) in plastic food wrap, then aluminium foil, store in cool dark place up to 6 weeks.