BetterHomesAndGardensAustraliaDecember2015_

86 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS, DECEMBER 2015 bhg.com.au

sweettreats

1 Cut six 25 x 15cm rectangles

from baking paper. Holding

1 rectangle horizontally, fold

bottom right corner to top long

edge to form a triangle, then roll

into a cone, ensuring bottom

point is rolled tight. Secure with a

staple, then put in an ovenproof

mug or jar to stand upright.

Repeat to make six paper cones.

Put mugs or jars on an oven tray.

2 Preheat oven to 180ºC. Put

butter, sugar, vanilla and egg in a

large bowl and beat with electric

hand beaters on high speed until

light and fluffy. Stir in flour, mixed

spice and milk until combined.

Divide batter between cones,

then use handle end of teaspoon

to push batter right into the point.

3 Bake for 25 minutes. Set

aside in jars to cool completely.

Remove baking paper and trim

cone bases to make level and

ensure they fit into jars.

4 Meanwhile, to make icing,

put butter in the bowl of an

electric mixer and beat on

medium until pale and fluffy. Sift in

½ of the icing sugar and beat on

low until combined. Add milk and

remaining icing sugar, beating to

combine. Increase speed to high

and beat until pale and fluffy. Tint

pale green with food colouring

gel. Spoon into a piping bag fitted

with a 5mm star nozzle.

5 Pipe a small amount of icing

into centre of one upturned jar

lid. Sit a cone cake on top, then

pipe icing onto cake in small dots

to completely coat, starting at

base and working up. Decorate

trees with cachous. Scatter

exposed base of jar lid with

coconut and dust cake with icing

sugar. Put jar on top of lid,

enclosing cake. Secure lid.

Mini meringue trees

Preparation time: 15 mins plus

30 minutes cooling

Cooking time: 1 hour

Makes about 36

2 (extra large) eggwhites

½ cup caster sugar

Green food colouring gel,

to tint

1 Preheat oven to 100ºC. Line

2 oven trays with baking paper.

Put eggwhites in bowl of electric

mixer and beat on high for 3

minutes or until stiff peaks form.

With motor on medium, add sugar

1 Tbsp at a time, beating well

after each. Increase speed to high

and beat for a further 3 minutes

or until a smooth and very thick

mixture forms. To test if ready,

hold a spoonful of mixture upside

down. It should hold its shape

and stick to the spoon.

2 Dip tip of small artist’s brush

into food colouring gel. Brush 5

lines of gel on inside of

disposable piping bag, starting

from tip to halfway up bag. Spoon

meringue into piping bag. Snip tip

to form a 1cm-wide opening.

3 Pipe mixture onto trays to

create Christmas tree shapes

ranging from 3–4cm in diameter

and 3–5cm in height.

4 Bake for 1 hour. Remove

from oven and set aside for

30 minutes to cool to room

temperature. Serve.

Dark chocolate, fig

and spiced rum cakes

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 50 mins

Makes 8

Cooking oil spray, to grease

250g soft and juicy dried

figs, finely chopped

250g raisins

250g prunes, finely chopped

¾ cup spiced dark rum

250g butter, chopped,

softened

1 cup firmly packed dark

brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup golden syrup

1 cup plain flour

1 cup self-raising flour

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

3 tsp mixed spice

200g dark chocolate

220g dark chocolate

melts, melted

Icing sugar mixture, to dust

GANACHE ICING

150g dark chocolate

¹⁄³ cup thickened cream

1 Grease eight 7cm round cake

tins with cooking oil. Line base

and sides with baking paper,

then put on an oven tray.

2 Put figs, raisins, prunes

and ½ cup rum in a large bowl,

stirring to combine. Set aside.

3 Preheat oven to 160ºC. Put

butter, sugar and vanilla in the

bowl of an electric mixer and beat

on high for 2 minutes or until light

and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time,

beating after each addition. Add

golden syrup, beating to combine.

Spoon fig mixture into butter

mixture, mixing well to combine.

Sift in flours, cocoa and mixed

spice, stirring to combine. Add

chocolate, stirring to incorporate.

Spoon into tins and smooth.

4 Bake for 50 minutes or until

cooked when tested with a

skewer. Brush remaining rum

on top. Cool completely in tin.

5 Meanwhile, spread melted

dark chocolate on a 30cm-long

piece of baking paper until about

3mm thick. Refrigerate for 15

minutes or until just beginning to

set (still slightly soft). Remove

from fridge. Using a fork, make a

zigzag pattern on chocolate to

resemble tree bark. Return to

fridge and chill for a further 30

minutes or until set firmly. Break

chocolate into shards.

6 Meanwhile, to make ganache

icing, put cream in a small

saucepan over a medium heat.

Bring to the boil, then remove

from heat. Add melted chocolate

to cream, stirring until smooth.

Set aside until icing reaches

spreadable consistency.

7 Spread a thin layer of

chocolate ganache over top and

sides of cakes. Decorate sides

with chocolate shards. Serve

cakes dusted with icing sugar. Photography Andre Martin; styling Stephanie Souvlis

Mini meringue trees

Dark choc fig cakes

TRY

THIS

Baubles aren’t
just for the
Christmas
tree! Put them
on the table
for a little
extra sparkle.