KYLE’S ROOIBOS AND GREEN FIG CHRISTMAS CAKE
- 3 eggs
- 100 g butter
- Rooibos tea (one standard cup with 2 bags)
- Cooking pot 1:
- 150 ml cream
- 50 g honey
- 50 g black treacle
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Bowl 1:
- 250 g plain flour
- 1½ teaspoon bicarb of soda
- Bowl 2:
- 450 g soaked dried fruit (cake mix)
- 290 g green figs, bottled, chopped
- 300 g glazed cherries, chopped
- 100 g crystalized ginger, finely chopped
- Bowl 3:
- 120 g pecan nuts, lightly crushed
- 80 g hazelnuts, toasted & shelled
- Topping:
- Coconut
- Cooking pot 2:
- 50 ml honey
- 50 g butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- Bowl 4:
- 50 g almond flakes
- 50 g pecan nuts, halved
- 50 g pistachios
- 200 g glazed cherries, halved
Preheat oven. 140°C for fan ovens or 160°C for normal oven.
Line your cake tin with grease proof paper (plus extra one for the top of the mix).
Bring cooking pot mix to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Take off the heat and whisk the 100g of butter. Let a cool slightly.
Transfer your mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk to cool it down more.
Add eggs (one at a time).
Add “Bowl 1” and whisk in.
Add “Bowl 2” and mix with wooden spoon.
Add “Bowl 3” and mix.
Transfer to baking tin.
Cover the top cook for 90 minutes.
80 minutes into baking, bring “cooking pot 2” to a boil
Add nuts and mix well.
When 90 minutes are done, check your cake to see if it’s fully cooked. If so, spread mixture on top and sprinkle little bit of coconut.
Bake for another 20 – 30 minutes. If not, leave cake in longer and then add topping.
Cooking time over, take out and stick little holes in the cake.
Add 3 tablespoons of Rooibos tea and fully cover with grease proof and then tin foil.
TOP TIPS:
You can eat this cake the day after as it’s nice and moist so always great for a “last minute” cake with great results
Use only one layer of grease proof paper for mini cakes but double-line for one big ones.
Make sure to line the side of the tin higher than the actual tin (5 cm).
Make sure to put enough alcohol over the fruit the night before as the cake doesn’t get any other alcohol (Sherry or Brandy).
If you don’t have treacle, use molasses.
Use a skewer and pierce 30 – 40 holes. Don’t go right through, only ¾ of the depth so feeding mixture doesn’t run through.
Make sure cake is in the middle of the oven. When making smaller ones, don’t stack them too close.
If you don’t want to feed the cake with Rooibos tea, simply wrap in grease proof and then foil. You can feed with alcohol or apple juice if you don’t like Rooibos tea. The flavours will intensify and cake will soften over the weeks
If you prefer no topping, simply bake continuous for the full amount of time.
It’s handy to put feeding liquid in a jar and just use a brush over the top.
Put wrapped cake in a cool space or container. Don’t leave in direct sunlight.
Photo and recipe: Kyle Jensen
