Bush Fruit Christmas Cake

This recipe by Raylene Brown is featured in the Great Australian Baking Book.

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 30mins plus standing
Cook Time: 3hrs
Skill Level: Easy

Rayleens’ recipe can also be found at Lifestyle Food

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Ingrediants

• 1/2 Cup Sultanas

• 1/2 Cup coarsely chopped raisins

• 1/2 Cup coarsely chopped pitted dates

• 2.5 Cups fresh or frozen quandong, deseeded

• 1/2 Cup chopped glazed apricots

• 1/4 Cup quandong jam

• 3/4 Cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur

• 250g butter, softened

• 3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups plain flour

• 1 tsp mixed spice

• 1.5 cups macadamia nuts

• 1 tsp ground bush tomato

• 1 tsp ground pepperberry

• 1 tsp wattleseed, toasted and ground

Decoration:

• 1 cup apricot jam

• 1.5 cups water

• 500g fresh or frozen quandong halves

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Method

1. Combine fruit, jam and liqueur in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and stand overnight or for several days, stirring mixture occasionally.

2. Pre-heat over to 140 degrees Celsius. Line the base and sides of a deep 20cm round cake tin with baking paper, allowing 5cm to extend above the tin.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric beater, until creamy. Add adds one at a time, beating until just combined between each egg. Add butter mix to fruit mixture and stir well. Stir in sifted flour and mixed spice, then macadamias, bush tomato, pepper berry and wattleseed.

4. Spread mixture evenly into cake tin. Bake for 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

5. For the decoration: place jam and water in a small saucepan; bring to the boil and simmer uncovered until reduced to half. Strain into a bowl, discarding pulp. Allow too cool. Thaw quandongs if frozen.

6. Quickly toss quandong halves into rolled glaze. Carefully place halves on top of cooled cake. This is a very sticky job, but take your time and it will be worth it.

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