Search Results for: pineapple fruit cake

pineapple fruit cake

I love cake………..but you probably already knew that. And one of the things I love to do in the lead up to Christmas is bake fruit cakes. I’ve made a lot of fruit cakes in my time and retro daddy has tasted a lot of them. I’ve always found the easiest and most foolproof recipes to make are the boiled fruit cake. They don’t take as long in the oven, you don’t have to soak your fruit beforehand and you still end up with a delicious cake. But I was flicking through a CWA cookbook and found pineapple fruit cake and knew I had to make it this Christmas.

and retro daddy thinks that this is the best fruit cake I’ve made. He normally likes to offer a little constructive criticism when I ask him to taste something  – he obviously takes his job very seriously – but I got nothing but praise for this one.  But this recipe wasn’t without fault. You see the recipe called for a can of pineapple pieces, I re-read it a couple of times because I’ve used crushed pineapple in my hummingbird cakes but not pineapple pieces.

So I made up the boiled mixture and then as I looked at it I thought those big pineapple pieces are just going to get a bit wet and soggy in the cake. So I did a quick google search and realised that I should have been using crushed pineapple. So I picked out each and every piece of pineapple, chucked them in the Thermomix and processed them on turbo a couple of times and voila, I had crushed pineapple and put them back in the mixture and you’d never know.

So do you love fruit cake at Christmas and do you make your own? Maybe your fruit is already soaking in brandy or you’ve got a cake stashed away. Let me know what you’re doing…….

5.0 from 2 reviews
pineapple fruit cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
delicious and easy!
Author:
Recipe type: Baking
What you'll need
  • 500g mixed dried fruit
  • 50g glace cherries (optional)
  • 450g can crushed pineapple
  • 125g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 cup sugar (I used caster)
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup self raising flour
Instructions
  1. Place dried fruit, pineapple (don't drain it), butter, sugar and bicarb in a saucepan and bring to the boil on a medium heat.
  2. Remove from the stove and leave to cool. I like to transfer to a big bowl and leave it to cool
  3. Add in eggs and mix well. Sift in the flour and mix it in well. Make sure there is no flour left at the bottom of the bowl. Nothing worse than discovering this once you've put most of the mixture into a lined tin.
  4. Pour into a lined square or round tin and place in a preheated oven 180C/350F and bake for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Now the cooking time will depend on your oven and the size of tin you use. Just check it with a knife or skewer at 45 minutes and if it comes out clean (don't stick it straight into a piece of fruit!) then you're done. If not put it back for another 10 minutes and test again.
  6. You can pour some brandy or alcohol over the top of your cake if you like but I soaked my fruit in brandy for 2 days before the cake was made.
  7. Leave to cool then slice and enjoy.

 

My favourite Christmas fruit cake

This is still my favourite Christmas fruit cake. Once upon a time I would buy all of the fruit and have it soaking for a few days then bake it in the oven for a few hours. But then I had lots of children and this cake is so great to make at the last minute. I do pour cointreau or brandy over the top of it while still hot for an adults version. I have also frozen the cake – just wrapped in foil and placed in a freezer bag or you could wrap then put in a container in the freezer. But it tasted great and is perfect for making ahead of time. Happy baking…….

So do you love fruit cake at Christmas and do you make your own? Maybe your fruit is already soaking in brandy or you’ve got a cake stashed away. Let me know what you’re doing…….

pineapple fruit cake
 
delicious and easy!
Author:
Recipe type: Baking
What you'll need
  • 500g mixed dried fruit
  • 50g glace cherries (optional)
  • 450g can crushed pineapple
  • 125g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 cup sugar (I used caster)
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup self raising flour
Instructions
  1. Place dried fruit, pineapple (don't drain it), butter, sugar and bicarb in a saucepan and bring to the boil on a medium heat.
  2. Remove from the stove and leave to cool. I like to transfer to a big bowl and leave it to cool
  3. Add in eggs and mix well. Sift in the flour and mix it in well. Make sure there is no flour left at the bottom of the bowl. Nothing worse than discovering this once you've put most of the mixture into a lined tin.
  4. Pour into a lined square or round tin and place in a preheated oven 180C/350F and bake for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Now the cooking time will depend on your oven and the size of tin you use. Just check it with a knife or skewer at 45 minutes and if it comes out clean (don't stick it straight into a piece of fruit!) then you're done. If not put it back for another 10 minutes and test again.
  6. You can pour some brandy or alcohol over the top of your cake if you like but I soaked my fruit in brandy for 2 days before the cake was made.
  7. Leave to cool then slice and enjoy.

blueberry cake + lemon glaze

One of the best things about holidays is that you have more time to get into the kitchen and bake. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s one way I love to spend my time. I spent a lot of time in there making toast and dinners but baking a cake is much more satisfying and enjoyable…with a sweet reward at the end. I found a recipe for blueberry cake in my CWA trusty cookbook and decided to have a play with it.

I am also in the midst of 2 weekends cooking for other people. So I set aside half the cake and divided into 2 containers and froze. I’ve been making dinners to freeze for a few local families and this way have dinner and dessert sorted. Yesterday I did my pineapple fruit cake and it is also a great way to avoid eating the whole cake. Not that it really happens around here because I have helpers that finish everything off. You can find some of my favourite recipes to make for other people here.

Enjoy…………

4.0 from 1 reviews
blueberry cake + lemon glaze
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 8
What you'll need
  • 60g (1/4 cup) butter
  • 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lemon - zest and juice
  • 100g (1/3 cup) natural yoghurt
  • 200g (1½ cups) self raising flour
  • 1½ cups blueberries (I used frozen)
  • Lemon Glaze
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp butter/margarine
  • 50g (1/4 cup) sugar
Instructions
  1. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and combine. Then add in yoghurt, lemon juice, zest and gently combine. Mix in the flour and gently stir. Then add blueberries. Be careful not to break them up.
  2. Pour into a lined round cake tin (I used a 20cm tin) and bake in a preheated 180C oven for at least 40-45 minutes.
  3. When the cake is nearly finished cooking combine the lemon juice, butter and sugar and heat on a low heat until sugar is disolved. Set aside.
  4. When cake is cooked in the centre remove from the oven, pour over the glaze and serve. This would be delicious as a dessert with ice cream or cream or just as an afternoon treat.

 

what to bake for the cake stall

A big white box came home with us today in preparation for the cake stall at the fete. I’m excited and now need to choose what to bake. With a tree full of lemons I’m thinking a lemon cake with icing. If you’re stuck with what to bake for your next cake stall then I’ve put a bit of a list together for you. Happy baking………………….I’m so hungry for some homemade cake after putting this list together!

egg cracking

banana bread

my low fat banana bread

caramel slice

chocolate brownies

super rich brownies

chocolate raspberry brownies

brownie

nicely iced chocolate brownies

chocolate pretzel cookies

cinnamon teacake

gluten free carrot cake (I would leave out the nuts!)

lemon drizzle cake

old fashioned orange sponge

Old fashioned orange sponge cake!!!! Only 50g butter whole cake:) so u can eat more

jam drops

old school chocolate slice

pineapple fruit cake

rocky road

rum balls

cranberry + pistachio shortbread 

(check on the nuts policy and just leave out pistachios if necessary)

smarties tart

smarties tart ready for the fridge

toffee apple teacake

vegan chocolate fudge cake

What’s your favourite thing to bake (or buy) from the cake stall?

What to make with canned pineapple

This post is brought to by Woolworths Select

I don’t know what’s going on with the weather where you live but here in Sydney it’s warming up! And I’m thinking summer holidays, trips to the beach, salad and ice cream. Pineapple also makes me think of warmer weather for some reason. And canned pineapple is one of those foods that I always have in my pantry. Are you one of those people who always has chickpeas, tuna and beetroot cans in your pantry. Well pineapple is usually there too because it’s so great in fried rice, on homemade pizza and in cakes. Growing up my favourite dinner was ham steaks and pineapple rings…….mmmmm. So retro.

Woolworths Select are now using Australian fruit in their canned fruit ranges and this is good news….for everyone. I do read labels and try to buy Australian products where I can and when it comes to fruit why wouldn’t you. We have great fresh produce here in Australia and the fruit that goes into the Woolworths Select canned fruit range is picked in summer from some of Australia’s best fruit producing regions including the Goulburn Valley.

I’ve got two fabulous pineapple recipes to share with you today and both got the big thumbs up in our house. First up is a deliciously fresh pineapple granita that is great for people who love iced desserts, don’t have fancy ice cream makers or kitchen gadgets and it’s especially great for those watching their weight or who don’t like heavy desserts. I told the kids it was a slushie and it’s not as sweet as what they are used to but they enjoyed some. This is a great summer dessert and can easily be made on a weeknight and then eaten for the rest of the week.

Now the other pineapple recipe I made isn’t so healthy but oh it is good. Pineapple upside down cake with maraschino cherries. Now this is something that I was really nervous about but I shouldn’t have been.

It’s basically a basic butter cake and the base of the cake tin has pineapple rings, cherries, butter and brown sugar and it all cooks itself beautifully in the oven. I think this is a great one if people are coming over and you want a show stopper or if you want to surprise the family with something a bit more special than a bowl of ice cream or some fruit for dessert. And the crispy caramel sides of the cake are the best bit. Definitely a winner and one I’ll be making again……


pineapple granita
 
The great thing about this recipe is that you don't need a fancy machine to make this delicious dessert.
Author:
Recipe type: Desserts
What you'll need
  • 2 cans Woolworths Select pineapple pieces in juice, drained
  • (reserve a few tablespoons of juice from the can)
  • a handful of fresh mint leaves
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 - 4 Tbsp raw sugar
Instructions
  1. Place pineapple pieces, mint leaves, lemon juice, a few tablespoons of juice from the can and sugar into your food processor and process for a minute until finely chopped. You can do this in the thermomix for about 20 seconds speed 5
  2. You can also do it with a hand blender. Whatever you have.
  3. Pour into a shallow plastic container (a rinsed out ice cream tub would work well too) and place in the freezer.
  4. After about an hour check on it and as it starts to freeze you are going to get a fork and grate it up. Do this a couple of times.
  5. Serve.....enjoy.

 
pineapple upside down cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe type: Baking
Serves: 8
What you'll need
  • 1 can Woolworths Select pineapple rings in juice/syrup
  • 6 or 7 cherries (glace or maraschino)
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 75g butter, melted
  • ¾ cup caster sugar
  • 125g butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • vanilla essence/extract
  • 2 cups self raising flour
  • ½ cup milk
Instructions
  1. Melt butter and place in bottom of round or square cake tin
  2. place brown sugar over the top of the butter and gently combine so that it's evenly distributed over the bottom of the cake tin
  3. place pineapple rings over the bottom of the cake tin and pop a cherry in the middle of each. Cute.
  4. Now make your cake batter by creaming the butter, sugar and vanilla. I do mine in the thermomix for 20 seconds on speed 5. You could just use a good old wooden spoon for this
  5. Add in eggs one at a time then milk and self raising flour. 20 seconds on speed 5 will do it in the thermomix then add the flour and milk and mix for another 20 seconds.
  6. Again just use a spoon or whatever you use for baking to mix if you don't have a machine.
  7. Gently pour over the top of the pineapple rings and very gently spread evenly without moving those precious pineapple rings
  8. Bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for about 35-40 minutes until the cake is cooked right through
  9. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the edge of your cake tin. Using a plate on the top of the cake tin, tip it over and leave the tin suspended for all the goodness to come out. Now at the same time take a peek and check that nothing is stuck to the bottom of the tin.
  10. Serve warm and enjoy.
  11. Now I know it doesn't look it but this cake is quite forgiving and even if everything sticks to the pan you could slide them out, assemble the cake. I had a few pineapple rings stick. If I was serving for guests then I could have melted a little butter and brown sugar and drizzled it over the top! Or my old friend.................a dusting of icing sugar.....saves everything!

 

easter cake to feed the masses

Well I am so last minute with easter this year! I had to get the conference and quilting day behind me and now easter is this weekend. How did that happen. I have a date tomorrow at the mall for some serious last minute easter goodies. Anyway, this morning I had 3 brown bananas sitting in my fruit bowl and I knew I had to do a new recipe. It’s been a long time between recipes. But I couldn’t find my all time favourite hummingbird cake recipe which is an AWW one that is so delicious. Really rich, dense and beautiful and so nice for this time of year.

So I pulled out my CWA bible and decided I’d convert their hummingbird recipe to the thermomix and have a play with it.  But there is a problem with the recipe so I turned that into a good thing and got 2 cakes out of the one recipe. A bonus when you have a big family of cake eaters. It’s light (no, not in the calorie department), fresh and absolutely delicious. But then again anything with cream cheese frosting is delicious in my books.

I love to do all my icing/frostings in the Kitchen Aid but I do all of my icing sugar in the thermomix. You just pop in sugar – I love raw sugar- and I process it up to 20 seconds and get delicious icing sugar. It means I don’t need to keep caster or icing sugar in my pantry just raw sugar and I’m prepared for any baking.

And I have to share a photo of one of my garden beds……….I’m not a garden blogger. Can you tell? Just keepin’ it real for you all. I put my time and love inside the house and not always outside. But I do always have good intentions for my garden…….just haven’t found the time yet.

Happy easter and happy baking……………..

easter cake to feed the masses
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This recipe makes 2 round cakes and is delicious
Author:
Recipe type: Baking
Serves: 24
What you'll need
  • 300g raw sugar
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 425g can pineapple pieces in syrup
  • 150mls/1cup canola oil
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla essence/extract
  • 500g plain flour
  • 1tsp bicarb soda
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1tsp ginger
  • 80g pecans, roughly chopped
  • 50g butter
  • 250g light cream cheese
  • 1-2 cups icing sugar/raw sugar made into icing sugar in thermomix
Instructions
  1. Place raw sugar in thermomix bowl, process 10 seconds on speed 9.
  2. Add in banana in chunks, pineapple and the syrup, oil, vanilla, eggs and process 10 seconds speed 5.
  3. Add in dry ingredients and process 10 seconds, speed 5.
  4. Add in pecans and process 10 seconds, speed 1, reverse. Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured cake tins and bake in preheated 160C/320F oven for about 50 - 60 minutes until cakes are cooked right through.
  5. Turn out cakes onto cooling racks and leave to cool.Ok we ate some of the 2nd cake as we couldn't wait.
  6. Place butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl, beat together and gradually add in icing sugar until you get the right consistency. The more icing sugar you add the stiffer the icing/frosting.
  7. Enjoy.

meal planning – week 1

With Christmas Day behind us and a New Year coming up this Sunday, I’ve decided to get serious about my meal planning. When I’m not busy then I meal plan for the week but when things are busy, end of year or kids are sick it all falls away. My hope for next year because we have a very busy year and a baby coming in May is to get organised! Here is what we are eating this week, I flicked through a few books and included a few of our favourites.

We generally have a mixture of vegetarian and meat dishes and try to bake once or twice a week for snacks and dessert. I also do some cooking for a local group that provides meals to families in crisis, and I’ll generally double up a recipe and freeze half and take over to the group freezer later on. You can do this for your own freezer or when you have a friend who is having a rough time can drop over a meal that day. It’s so handy and things like uncooked lasagne, bolagnese sauce, meatballs etc freeze really well and you just add garlic bread, salad and a dessert and have a complete meal ready to give.

Day 1

Homemade sausage rolls & Coleslaw

We made a batch of the Veggie Packed sausage rolls from the MamaBake cookbook (a great buy full of recipes) but you can find similar sausage roll recipes here, here and here

For a gluten free recipe use gluten free puff pastry which you can find in your freezer section of a big supermarket/health food store and make sure you have enough egg to bind the filling and leave out breadcrumbs if the recipe calls for it. Also check ingredients on sauce bottles to ensure they are gluten free. For a vegetarian roll recipe try these delicious ones which we all love.

I buy a coleslaw bag from the shops because it’s easy but I also love this carrot salad in the thermomix. Super delicious!

Day 2

Vegetable and feta risotto (V) 

We love risotto in the thermomix and I add grated zucchini, carrot and celery and cook for the whole time and then add feta to my thermoserve and leave for a few minutes. Danish feta is the best as its very creamy

Day 3

Tacos/or Bean nachos (V)

My kids love making their own tacos. I saute one onion, add in 500g mince and make my own flavouring. I use smoked paprika, vegetable stock (from my thermomix), salt, pepper and some garlic & herb seasoning and diced tomato. So delicious. We serve ours with shredded iceberg lettuce, salsa, sliced tomato, mashed avocado and sour cream. For vegetarian tacos just replace the mince with kidney beans and smash them with the back of a fork as you cook them. Alternatively these bean nachos are always a hit with the kids and great for summer holidays.

 

Day 4

Chicken and salad wraps

We are in the middle of summer and holidays. Grab a hot chicken during the day and keep in fridge for rest of day. At dinner time pull out leftover salad from taco night, shred the chicken and serve together or in wraps.

Day 5

Porcupine Meatballs

A favourite of the little ones and my husband. I like mine with salad and they love mashed potato or rice. Super easy and this is a great one to freeze as well.

Day 6

Homemade pizzas (V option)

We use the dough made in the thermomix (you can make your own dough or buy pizza bases or pita bread) and we top with tomato paste, ham, pineapple or canned tuna, olives, capsicum, fresh tomato and lots of grated cheese on top. Kids make their own and it’s an activity and dinner rolled into one. For vegetarian pizzas go for marinated or fresh vegetables and a good cheese.

Day 7

Chicken pie

Great for Sunday night. Serve with salad and garlic bread. We make 2 pies and any leftovers don’t last long. If you have lots of time and love a good old fashioned chicken pot pie then try Pioneer Woman’s with the homemade pie crust. Absolutely delicious!

so good

Baking

120 cookies in the thermomix

I use raw sugar which isn’t as sweet as white or caster so adjust the sugar if you are using white sugar and do 1/2 cup because the sweetened condensed milk is sweet. Some people like a really sweet sugar cookie but I find one cup of raw sugar works nicely. It’s up to you…I like sweet!

in the oven

Pineapple fruit cake

This is to use up the last of the Christmas fruit mix in my pantry

Cherry Clafoutis

You can use up whatever nice fruit you have at your house but I love having a jar of cherries in the pantry to whip up this delicious dessert. It looks much fancier than it is to cook!

cherry clafoutis

If you’re stuck in a dinner rut then I hope that gives you a bit of inspiration. I often find myself in a rut especially over the holidays but did one big shop and am all stocked up for these delicious dinners.

let the Christmas making and baking begin

I can’t believe how close it is to Christmas and not even one batch of rocky road or rum balls has come out of my kitchen. It’s a first. I better cracking….here are my top 5 Christmas treats that I’ll be making this year! And I’m not hosting Christmas lunch this year which means I’ve got more time to make sweet treats this year………..

Pineapple Fruit Cake is super easy and delicious. I’ve been asked how best to store it. Nice airtight container and if you live in a hot climate keep it cool. You could refrigerate if you wanted to but remove from fridge at least an hour or two before you want to serve it. Also lovely hot with ice cream or custard!

Rocky Road with a variety of ingredients. Never fails and you’ll always get an empty plate afterwards.

turkish delight yum

Rum balls because it wouldn’t be Christmas without them and I still use this recipe about 15 years after I first started!

Peppermint Bark which is so easy and fun and a great way to use those candy canes that come from school

peppbarkimage

and little Christmas puddings because they look so sweet and pretty

 

what’s on my Christmas menu?

I’ve had a few questions about what we will eat for Christmas Day. We’ve got a busy couple of days planned especially as I’m hosting Christmas lunch, a few visitors staying over Christmas and ‘pudding and presents’ as we’re calling it on Boxing Day with more family.

Now Christmas lunch for as long as I can remember and with the exception of when we lived in England or I have been with retro daddy’s family, is a cold lunch affair. I usually do the old chips, dip, crackers, carrot sticks, cashews (surely everyone does cashews at Christmas and you need to buy an extra bag because you eat one bag before the cashews actually make it out of the kitchen). There is also french champagne (must be french), beer, soft drinks, non alcoholic wine and that’s the drinks sorted.

 oh look! more food!

If you like a little hot starter then I really love these artichoke tartlets. You make a little case out of bread and a mixture of marinated artichokes and mayo inside, baked in the oven and voila. Recipe here.

Seafood, ham, chicken or turkey is always on the menu. And we’re all about tradition here because for as long as I can remember grandma betty brings the ham because her friend Iris was married to the butcher so we’re still getting our ham that way.

My dad organises the seafood and that used to be the job he did with my mum and he’s still doing it. I miss going to the shops early with my mum or running into them down at the mall. Now I do my Christmas Eve 6am shop at Balgowlah Stocklands because you park underneath, pop up the escalator and you have everything there including fresh seafood, flowers, butcher and supermarket. It’s fabulous and less crowded than going to a bigger shopping centre.

Ok now I shine at the vegetables and salads. That’s probably because for quite a few Christmases in my life I was vegetarian so didn’t do the ham or seafood. One of my all time combos is pumpkin, feta and spinach. This salad is a winner……recipe here.

I also love good old potato salad. I love it warm, gherkins are delicious added and so is sliced egg. I don’t make my own mayo as I’m usually pregnant at Christmas but I buy a good mayo and use generously. Another great salad is warm potatoes, mustard and olive oil which is also delicious.

Beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes and a simple dressing of olive oil, mustard, vinegar, dash of sugar, seasoned with salt and pepper. Simple and festive. Just boil the beans in boiling water then rinse in cold water to keep them green.

green bean salad with cranberry dressing

If my aunty kim is coming over then I leave the Changs noodle salad to her. She is known for that salad and it always get demolished. We love you kim and we love your noodle salad. Aunty Deb also does a delicious noodle salad too and is also known for her homemade pudding. Dessert. Let’s talk dessert.

Now each year I do something a bit different for dessert. I’ve done frozen puddings, trifle one year, pavlova a few times and this year I’m going all out with a homemade frozen pudding that I’m already getting excited about. A lovely reader even helped me track down the book that the pudding was in. It’s a Women’s Weekly recipe……Frozen Chocolate Fruit Cake Pudding. Did you get that? It’s a frozen pudding and you make the ice cream from scratch and it is worth all of the effort. You can find a copy of the recipe here online and it comes from The Australian Women’s Weekly Christmas Cooking book first published in 2004 and now available as a 2013 reprint. I picked mine up at Big W.

and then after all of that I do the tray of the goodies – fruit cake, fruit mince pies, rum balls, shortbread, handmade chocolates and rocky road. 

sweet plate

Last year this was my favourite fruit cake, a pineapple fruit cake and considering that I haven’t even thought about fruit cake yet or soaking my fruit I think this will be on the menu again this year. Recipe here.

How is your Christmas menu looking? Trying anything new? I’m too embarrassed to show you the pile of Christmas magazines full of recipes that won’t even get a look in this year as I’m still trying to get to the end of school and preschool…………………….