Recipes
Recipes Book
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Cakes and Puddings
The Perfect Pecan Fruitcake
Chocolate Date and Pecan Cakes
Apple, Cinnamon and Pecan Cake
Zucchini Cake
Pecan Plum Pudding
Butterscotch Banana and Pecan Pudding
The Perfect Pecan Fruitcake
This superbly flavoured cake is richly studded with Pecans and fruit, and the angostura bitters is the secret ingredient.
250g seeded raisins
1 tbspn angostura bitters (optional)
250g dried apricots, quartered
1 cup dark rum
155g sultanas
6 eggs
90g glace cherries, quartered
1 cup castor sugar
250g chopped glace fruit,
(eg pineapple, apricots, pears)
1 cup plain flour
1 tspn baking powder
500g Pecan nut halves
90g shredded coconut
1. Combine all fruits. Add the angostura bitters, and rum. Allow to stand several hours or overnight.
2. Whisk together the eggs and sugar. Sift the flour with baking powder and fold into the egg mixture. Stir in the coconut, combined fruits and Pecan nuts, reserving a few for decoration. Fill the mixture in a greased and lined 23cm cake pan.
3. Bake in a slow oven for 3 hours or until cooked when tested and firm to touch. Alternatively this mixture can be divided between two smaller 15cm pans and baked for about two hours or until cooked when tested.
Chocolate Date and Pecan Cakes
Keep this luscious treat in the fridge for your next afternoon tea.
250g unsalted butter, softened
275g (1 1/4 cups) firmly packed dark muscovado sugar*
5 eggs
225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
25g (1/4 cup) Dutch cocoa
Fruit Mixture
400g sultanas
300g pitted prunes,
finely chopped
225g fresh dates, pitted, finely chopped
100g pecans, finely chopped
100g glace orange peel, finely chopped
150g dark chocolate, finely chopped
200ml nut-flavoured liqueur**
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
* Muscovado sugar is dark, rich and sticky with a delicious toffee flavour. It is available from delicatessens and David Jones Foodhalls. Substitute with dark brown sugar.
** Good nut liqueurs to try include Frangelico and Nocello.
1.For fruit mixture, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and stand at room temperature overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 150C. Grease 20, 1/2 cup-capacity dariole moulds then line bases with baking paper
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until just combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined. Sift flours and cocoa over cake mixture. Add fruit mixture and stir well to combine.
4. Spoon batter into prepared moulds. Smooth tops then bake cakes for 45 minutes. Stand in moulds for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months. Serve warm, with custard or ice-cream. Note: You will need to start this recipe the day before you want to bake it. Serving tip: For a caramel pecan topping, make a caramel with 2 cups (440g) caster sugar and 2/3 cup water. Spoon over each cake and top with pecans.
Apple, Cinnamon and Pecan Cake
Enjoy a slice of this deliciously moist cake with your next 'cuppa'
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2/3 cup extra-light olive oil
1/2 cup apple juice
2 cups plain flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup canned apple pie fruit, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line the base of a 23cm (base) springform cake pan with baking paper.
2. Place eggs, caster sugar and vanilla into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed for 3 minutes or until pale and creamy. Stir in oil and juice.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon over egg mixture. Mix well.
4. Pour two-thirds of cake batter into pan. Top with half the apple. Pour over remaining cake batter. Top with remaining apple and pecans. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack. Combine icing sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust over cake while still warm. Serve.
Serves 8
Zucchini Cake
A family favourite made even more popular with its delectible lemon flavoured icing
150g (1 cup) plain flour
150g caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250g grated zucchini
150g raisins
150g sultanas
75g chopped toasted pecans, plus a few whole, to garnish
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
extra chopped pecans
pinch of salt
Lemon icing:
150g (1 cup) sifted pure icing sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1-1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 25 x 10cm loaf pan.
2. Sift flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add zucchini, raisins, sultanas and pecans. Whisk together eggs, vanilla and oil, and stir into dry ingredients. 3. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1-1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, rind and juice, and stir until the mixture is smooth. When the cake is cold, drizzle with icing, allowing it to run down the sides, and top with extra nuts. This cake keeps well for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
Serves 6
Pecan Plum Pudding
This traditional favourite will never go out of style!
1 1/2cups each sultanas, currants
and chopped seeded raisins
chilled and grated
250g butter or suet
250g mixed glace fruits, chopped (cherries, apricots, pineapple)
2 cups brown sugar
250g soft white breadcrumbs
1 cup pecans, quartered grated rind lemon
2 cups plain flour
6 eggs
pinch of salt
150ml milk
tspn each baking powder, mixed spice and ground nutmeg
3 tbspns brandy, whisky or sherry
1. Combine all the fruits with the pecan nuts. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Add fruit, butter or suet, sugar, breadcrumbs and lemon rind. Beat eggs with milk and brandy, whisky or sherry. Add to the mixture and blend well.
2. Grease one large or two medium sized pudding basins. Add the pudding mixture and cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and foil. Tie securely with string. Place in a large saucepan on an upturned plate with boiling water to reach 2/3 up the side of the basin(s). Cover and cook 6 hours for the large pudding and 4 hours for the smaller ones. Top up boiling water as necessary during cooking.
3. Allow to cool then replace covers with fresh paper and foil and store in the refrigerator. Boil a further 2 hours on the day of serving.
Butterscotch Banana and Pecan Pudding
A traditional pudding to warm you up on cold winter nights.
2 bananas, peeled
125g pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 cup golden syrup
100g butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
100ml milk
250ml (1 cup) boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease an 8 cup ovenproof baking dish. Slice bananas into dish. Scatter over pecans. Drizzle over golden syrup and dot with 40g of the butter.
2. Beat remaining butter with electric beaters until smooth. Add half the sugar, beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, alternately with milk.
3. Spread mixture over banana and pecans. Sprinkle remaining sugar over top. Pour over boiling water. Place dish on a tray and bake for 45-50 minutes until cooked. Serve immediately. Preparation Time 15 minutes Cooking Time 45 minutes
Serves 4
