Name: Christmas cake with spiced pineapple and rum-lime icing
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 208 min
Total time: 238 min
Yield: 14-16
Ingredients: ½ small (500gm) ripe pineapple; 160 gm (1 cup) currants; 100 gm (½ cup) each golden raisins and crimson raisins, coarsely chopped; 50 gm crystallised ginger, finely chopped; 220 gm (1 cup) brown sugar; 125 gm butter, melted, cooled; 160 ml (⅔ cup) spiced rum; Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lime; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 200 gm (1⅓ cups) self-raising flour; 100 gm (⅔ cup) plain flour; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground star anise; ¼ tsp ground cloves; 3 eggs; 250 ml (1 cup) well-shaken buttermilk; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; Coarsely crushed pink peppercorns and finely grated lime zest, to serve; Rum-lime Icing; 200 gm icing sugar, sifted; 1 tbsp each lime juice and golden rum

This lightly spiced Christmas cake is adds pineapple to the traditional festive fruit cake for sweetness and zing.

Ingredients

½ small (500gm) ripe pineapple

160 gm (1 cup) currants

100 gm (½ cup) each golden raisins and crimson raisins, coarsely chopped

50 gm crystallised ginger, finely chopped

220 gm (1 cup) brown sugar

125 gm butter, melted, cooled

160 ml (⅔ cup) spiced rum

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lime

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

200 gm (1⅓ cups) self-raising flour

100 gm (⅔ cup) plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground star anise

¼ tsp ground cloves

3 eggs

250 ml (1 cup) well-shaken buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Coarsely crushed pink peppercorns and finely grated lime zest, to serve

Rum-lime Icing

200 gm icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp each lime juice and golden rum

Method

Preheat oven to 110°C. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. Using a mandolin, thinly slice half the pineapple and arrange slices on the tray. Bake until dried (2-2½ hours). Cool on tray. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Meanwhile, core and coarsely chop remaining pineapple (you need 200gm). Purée pineapple in a food processor. Transfer to a large saucepan with dried fruit, ginger, sugar, butter, 80ml (⅓ cup) rum and citrus zests and juice. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil. Cook until fruit is soft and liquid is reduced (5-6 minutes). Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Transfer to
a large bowl and cool (20 minutes).

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Sieve flours and spices into a bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk and vanilla in a large jug until combined. Stir buttermilk mixture into cooled fruit mixture until combined. Sieve over flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into tin; bake until golden and centre springs back when lightly pressed (50-60 minutes). Brush hot cake with remaining 80ml (⅓ cup) rum, wrap pan in foil, then in a tea towel; cool. Un-iced Christmas cake can be made up to 2 days ahead.

For icing, stir ingredients until combined. Set aside to thicken slightly. Spread icing over top of cake. Decorate with dried pineapple slices, pink peppercorns and lime zest. Set aside for icing to set completely before serving.`

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Photography by Ben Dearnley Photographer

Ben Dearnley is a Sydney-based photographer who has been shooting since 1995, after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies at Newcastle University. He was a photography assistant for three years before starting his own photography business focusing on food, still life and lifestyle. He has worked for a large number of local magazines and cookbook publishers, including Australian Gourmet Traveller, Donna Hay Magazine, Delicious, Coles, Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks, Murdoch Books, Pan Macmillan and others. He also shoots content for brands such as Sonoma Bakery, The Heart Foundation and Napoleon Perdis. When not in his studio, he enjoys swimming, walking his current Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Hazel, and tinkering in his shed.

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Styling by Bernie Smithies

Ingredients

Method

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