Fruit Cake

This is the recipe that my Mum used to make as her Christmas cake every year. It is much more moist than a traditional fruit cake and doesn’t keep as long. No need to make it in October if it's going to be your Christmas cake. 

I’m not a big fan of fruit cake but I don’t mind this one. 

Mum’s Pineapple Cake:

1 x 450g tin of crushed pineapple

125g margarine

375g mixed fruit

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon mixed spices

1 teaspoon bi-carb soda

pinch salt

1 cup SR flour

1 cup plain flour

2 beaten eggs

Boil first seven ingredients in saucepan for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Add sifted flours and eggs. Place mixture in an 18cm square cake tin lined with greased greaseproof paper. Cook for one hour at 160 degrees. Test with skewer. Leave in tin for 5 minutes then turn onto rack to cool. Store in an airtight container. 

More advice

Thankfully I remembered my own advice when zesting and juicing lemons again this week! Now here's another piece of advice: hot chicken soup and notebook computers don't belong together. 

Christmas is coming

My big tip for Christmas is save those gold coins through the year and when you have $20 (or better still$50) take them to whichever supermarket you like and buy a gift voucher. Put the voucher in a drawer so that at Christmas you have some "cash". It really helps, especially if you are doing Christmas baking - costs can be crazy!!! 

Black and White Raspberry Slice

Okay, one of the reasons I started this blog was to share recipes amongst other stuff ... the things you can't take with you. So (to celebrate the blog going 'out there') here is another one. 

125g Philadelphia cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup white choc chips

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup extra caster sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons bi carb
150g melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

200g frozen raspberries

beat the Philly and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg, stir through the choc chips.

sift the flour, extra sugar, cocoa, bi carb into a bowl. Combine the butter, vinegar, milk, extra eggs, vanilla and then stir into the dry ingredients until combined.

pour into a greased slice pan. Dot the top with the Philly mixture and swirl through gently with a knife. Lightly press the raspberries over the top.

Bake at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Cool and then cut.