Thanks nauru, I was looking for the Alison Holst recipe. This is also delicious thinly sliced and slow baked as biscotti.
badams1,
Jan 14, 6:29pm
i have been baking since adam. fruit cakes . madee six this year. usual bake. Came across this thread Valentinos recipe. I made two. absolutely delicious.I will make a point of including in my festive baking .thank you. do try you will not be disappointed.
bluetigerrr,
Nov 23, 5:03pm
Hi - does anyone have a really good recipe for this cake?
I've decided to make this as my Xmas cake this year because it'll be easier to transport in my suitcase when I fly to Sydney. Plus it's normally kept in the fridge ie not in a cake tin so that's also easy because I can freeze it before travelling.
Many thanks if you can help here.
nzhel,
Nov 23, 5:23pm
I always make Alison Holst's Cathedral Window Cake from an old recipe book of hers which gives instructions for microwave cooking. You need to be able to use only a 30% power level tho and cook for one hour. It turns out very successful and is a lovely cake. Otherwise it can be cooked in an oven. I have found a link to an Annabel Langbein one which also looks lovely.
bluetigerrr,
Nov 23, 5:31pm
OK, that's great nzhel . can you provide the links? Or recipes?
Cathedral Cake (sometimes called Stained Glass Window Cake)
250g dates 125g glace pineapple 125g glace apricots 125g red glace cherries 125g green glace cherries 125g whole blanched almonds 250g brazil nuts 2 eggs 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 1 tablespoon rum 90g butter 1/3 cup plain flour 3 tablespoons self raising flour
Chop pineapple and apricots into fairly large pieces; leave remaining fruit and nuts whole. Mix all well together. Beat eggs until thick and creamy, add sugar, vanilla, rum and soft butter, beating until combined. Stir in sifted flours and fruit and nut mixture. Divide mixture between 2 greased bar tins (base measure 7cm x 25cm) with bases lined with baking paper. Press mixture firmly into tins. Bake in slow oven 1 and 1/4 hours or until cake is firm to the touch; cover hot cake with foil and cool in tin. When cool, wrap in plastic food wrap and refrigerate until required. Can be made up to to 3 months ahead. Next year:-) Can also use just one 14cm x 21cm loaf pan with base and sides lined; bake for about 2 hours.
bluetigerrr,
Nov 23, 5:54pm
Oooooh . terrific! Thanks so much for your link nzel and also valentino, for your written out recipe. Fabuloso :) Does anyone have any suggestions which ingredient would be best to substitute for the nuts ie brazil nuts and almonds? One of the intended consumers has a nut allergy.
nzhel,
Nov 23, 6:12pm
I think you can almost put whatever fruit you like in it really, so you could omit the nuts and just replace their amounts with other dried fruits. I've used dried apple and peach slices, papaya, raisins etc etc. The PaknSave supermarket in Lower Hutt here usually has a good selection of dried fruits in the pick and mix bins, and so does the New World s/market so it could be worth checking yours out as well. Bin In could another option.
bluetigerrr,
Nov 23, 7:06pm
OK nzhel - will do that ie get some papaya, peach slices etc I'm trying to find the Alison Holst recipe but cannot :( If you find it, could you post it?
valentino,
Nov 23, 8:24pm
I think the one above is Alison Holst.
Cheers
nauru,
Nov 24, 12:58am
x1
Here it is, from Alison Holst Cooking for Christmas book. Cathedral Cake 1 cup brazil nuts ½ cup blanched almonds ½ cup cashew nuts 1 cup red cherries ½ cup mixed cherries 1 cup glace fruits (pineapple, mangoes, peaches, apricots) 1 cup dried fruit ¾ cup flour ½ cup brown sugar ¼ teasp cinnamon ½ teasp baking powder ½ teasp salt 2 eggs ½ teasp vanilla essence
Measure nuts, fruit and dry ingredients into a bowl, reserving some for decoration. Cut up large pieces of fruit but leave some long thin pieces if desired, especially if using mango. Mix eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined and add to other ingredients. Mix thoroughly by hand. Press evenly into 20 cm ring tin or two small loaf tins, each lined with a teflon liner or sprayed baking paper to prevent sticking. Bake @ 130C for 2 hours or until firm in centre. Cool, remove from tin and peel away the liner. Brush all over with rum, brandy or whiskey. Store @ room temperature in greaseproof paper or refrigerate in plastic wrap. This cake keeps well for several months. Cut into thin slices with a serrated knife.
bluetigerrr,
Dec 10, 11:09pm
Thank you very much nauru - much appreciated :)
nauru,
Jan 14, 4:48pm
You are welcome
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