PAMELA’S WALNUT,
ORANGE & CARDAMOM
CHRISTMAS CAKES
PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS (+ COOLING)
MAKES 8
You will need to make the recipe
1 day ahead.
1¾cups (180g) walnut halves
1½cups (250g) candied orange
peel strips
1¼cups (250g) fresh dates, pitted
¾cup (125g) pitted prunes
¾cup (90g) almond meal
½cup (125ml) orange−flavoured
liqueur
250gbutter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated orange
rind
1 cup (220g) firmly packed dark
brown sugar
¼cup (90g) honey
4 eggs, at room temperature
1½cups (225g) plain flour
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
½teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼cup (60ml) orange−flavoured
liqueur, extra
DECORATIONS
1kgready−made white icing
cornflour,to dust
⅓cup (115g) orange marmalade,
warmed, sieved
CANDIEDWALNUTS
½cup (110g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup (100g) walnut halves, toasted
(see step 2)
1 Grease eight 9cm round, 6cm−deep,
1⅓−cup cake pans; line bases and
sides with two layers of baking paper,
extending the paper 1cm over sides.
Place pans on anoven tray. Position
oven shelf so the top of the cakes will
be in about the centre of the oven.
Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan.
2 Spread walnuts onto an oven
tray, roast for 10 minutes or until
browned. Cool.
3 Using kitchen scissors, cut peel,
dates and prunes into 1cm pieces in a
large bowl. Add walnuts, almond meal
and liqueur to bowl; mix well.
4 Beat butter and rind in a small
bowl with an electric mixer until
butter clings to the side of the bowl
(butter should not have changed to a
lighter colour). Add sugar and honey;
beat only until combined. Beat in
eggs, one at a time, beating only until
each egg is combined with the butter
mixture. Add butter mixture to fruit
mixture in bowl; mix well. Sift dry
ingredients over fruit mixture; mix
well with one hand.
5 Divide mixture among pans, press
in firmly; smooth surface.
6 Bake cakes for 1¼ hours or until
a thin−bladed knife inserted into each
centre comes out clean. Brush hot
cakes with extra liqueur; cover pans
tightly with foil. Turn upside down
on a board lined with baking paper.
Cover pans with a thick towel; leave
cakes in pans for 12 hours. Remove
cakes from pans.
7 To decorate, knead the ready−made
icing on a surface dusted with a little
sifted cornflour until it loses its
stickiness. Divide the icing into eight
portions; tightly wrap each portion in
plastic wrap until required. Working
in batches, roll each portion of icing
on a bench lightly dusted with
cornflour into a 23cm round. Brush
top and side of one cake witha little
warm marmalade. Top with icing
then, using hands lightly dusted in
cornflour, ease and mould icing over
cake;gently rub until smooth. Trim
icing neatly around base. Repeat with
remaining icing, marmalade and
cakes. Stand cakes, uncovered, at
room temperature, overnight to dry.
8 Make candied walnuts.
9 Serve cakes topped with candied
walnuts.Christmas Lunch
CANDIED WALNUTSCombine sugar
and the water in a medium saucepan.
Stir over low heat until sugar
dissolves. Bring to the boil over
medium heat; boil, without stirring,
for 7 minutes or until syrup turns
golden brown. Remove pan from heat.
Add walnuts to syrup; stir gently to
coat walnuts in syrup. Spread walnuts
onto an oven tray lined with baking
paper. Set aside to cool and set.COOK’S
NOTES
DO AHEAD
Cakes can be made up to
3 months ahead; store in an
airtight container at room
temperature.
We used Grand Marnier for
this recipe, but you can use
Cointreau or brandy. For a
non-alcoholic version, use
orange juice.
Cake mixture can also be
cooked in a deep 20cm
square or 22cm round cake
pan; line base and sides with
two layers of baking paper,
extending the paper 5cm over
the side. Bake for 2-2¼ hours.
Re-roll any scraps of icing
into a 6mm thickness; using
snowflake cutters, cut out
different sized snowflakes.
Place on an oven tray
lined with baking paper.
Stand snowflakes at room
temperature to dry overnight.
Use a little water to secure
snowflakes to cake, if
you like.32