BetterHomesAndGardensAustraliaDecember2015_

231

grandfinale

sheet of pleated baking paper
and foil, securing with string.
Place basin in a large saucepan,
fill with boiling water to half
way up sides, then cover and
steam for 3 hours, checking
water level occasionally.

Sticky orange and
Marsala pudding
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Serves 8

Melted butter, for greasing
¼cup golden syrup
2 oranges, thinly sliced
175g butter, chopped
¾ cup caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup self-raising flour
1 cup fresh white
breadcrumbs
¼ tsp grated fresh nutmeg
2 Tbsp Marsala
Finely grated zest 1 orange
200g mixed dried fruit
½ cup glacé cherries, halved
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve
(optional)

SYRUPY SAUCE
½ cup golden syrup
Finely grated zest of
1 orange and juice of ½
60ml Madeira

1 Grease a 1.2-litre pudding
basin with butter. Cut out a
large circle ofbaking paper
and a large circle offoil, both
5cm wider than rim of pudding
basin. Make a sharp pleat down

centre of both, then grease one

side of baking paper to create

pudding lid. Set aside.

2 Spoon golden syrupinto

bottom of prepared basin. Lay

5 slices of oranges in bottom,

overlapping like petals.

3 Put butter and sugarin the

bowl of an electric mixer and

beat until pale and creamy.

Gradually add eggs, beating

until light and fluffy (if mixture

starts to split add a spoonful of

flour). Add flour and

breadcrumbs, folding to

combine, then add remaining

ingredients, folding to combine.

Spoon mixture on top of orange

slices, adding remaining orange

slices against side of basin as

you go. Cover with baking paper

lid, butter-side down and pleat

on top, then foil. Push sides of

lid down, then secure with a

piece of string tied under lip

of basin. Use any overhanging

string to create a handle to help

lift pudding out of saucepan.

4 Stand pudding basinon top

of an upturned bowl or saucer in

a large saucepan. Fill saucepan

with enough boiling water to

come halfway up side of basin

and heat over a low heat. Bring

to a gentle simmer, then cover

saucepan with a lid and leave to

steam for 1½ hours, topping up

with boiling water if level gets

low, or until pudding is cooked

when tested with a skewer.

5 To make syrupy sauce, put

all ingredients in a small

saucepan over a medium heat

and cook until warmed. Turn

pudding out onto a plate and

serve drenched with syrupy

sauce and a dollop of vanilla

ice-cream, if desired.

TipThis can be made up to a

week in advance. Once cooked,

cover with clean baking paper

and foil and keep in a cool, dry

place until ready to serve. Re-

steam pudding for

1 hour before serving.

Orange blossom and

pomegranate cake

Preparation time: 35 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour 40 mins

Serves 8–10

6 thin-skinned oranges,

3 whole and 3 juiced

250g butter, softened,

plus extra to grease

¼ cup honey, plus 2 Tbsp

extra, to drizzle base

1¹⁄³cup caster sugar

1¹⁄³cup self-raising flour

1½ cups ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp orange blossom

water, plus 1 tsp extra

for syrup

½ cup full-fat Greek yoghurt,

plus extra to serve

Seeds of 1 pomegranate

1 Put 1 whole orangein a

deep saucepan and cover with

water. Bring to the boil over a

high heat and cook for a couple

of minutes. Get rid of water and

start again, this time simmering

for 40 minutes or until orange is

really soft. Drain and discard

water. When cool enough to

handle, cut boiled orange in

half and remove all pips.

2 Preheat oven to 180°C.

Grease a 22cm-round cake

tin with butter and line with

baking paper. Drizzle 2 Tbsp

honey over base of prepared

tin, then slice remaining

2 whole oranges and arrange

slices over honey.

3 Put boiled orangein a

food processor and process to

a puree. Put softened butter in

the bowl of an electric mixer

and add 1 cup of sugar,

remaining honey, flour,

almonds, baking powder, eggs,

orange blossom water and

yoghurt, beating until smooth.

Stir in pureed orange, then

carefully transfer mixture into

tin, being careful not to

dislodge orange slices. Bake

for 1 hour or until cooked

when tested with a skewer.

Leave cake to cool in tin for

10 minutes, then turn out onto

a serving plate.

4 Combine orange juice,

remaining sugar and extra

orange blossom water in a

saucepan over a medium heat.

Simmer for 5 minutes or until

syrup has thickened slightly, then

stir in pomegranate seeds. Serve

cake slightly warmed or at room

temperature topped with dollops

of extra yoghurt and drizzled

with pomegranate syrup.

Keep the good times rolling with our

Christmas puds you can cook ahead

and store until ready to serve!