Christmas cake recipe – gluten free
provided by Matthew Ballenden, dad to Isabella & owner of the Fresh Earth Food Store, an organic health store and vegetarian restaurant with a great online store. Visit their website to find out more.
Makes 2 x 23cm cakes
Ingredients:
8g Xantham gum
15g Bicarbonate of soda
300g Cherries
600g Raisins
400g Sultanas
125g Mixed peel
50g Chopped almonds
500ml Sunflower oil
80g Apricot jam
2 Lemons zest large
430g Rice flour
5g Salt
3g Ginger
10g Nutmeg
4g Cinnamon
330ml Milk stout
5 Large organic eggs
4g Mixed spice
50ml Lemon cordial
80g Flaked almonds
Method:
1. Combine fruit, almonds and oil and mix well.
2. Add the jam and rind, juice of lemon and cherries and put into a pot and lightly cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the spices and add to the cooled mixture.
4. Beat the eggs and the stout together and add to the mixture to form a moist but not a sloppy mixture.
5. Add the mixture to your grease proof lined baking tin.
6. Cover the cakes with foil.
7. Place the cakes tins into a water filled tray (like a double boiler).
8. Bake for 2 – 3 hours at 180°C.
9. When the cake is ready pour lemon cordial over the cake to soak.
10. Allow to cool.
Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 2 days to mature.
Easy Xmas biscuits I made with my kids
by Laura-kim Allmayer, co-founder of Journey2Joy, mom to two little people, compulsive blogger and twitter addict. When she’s not blogging she’s planning baby showers and helping moms prepare for their new babies.
CHRISTMAS DECORATION BISCUITS
625ml flour
125ml icing sugar
5ml cream of tartar
2ml bicarb
Pinch salt
250g butter
1. Sift the dry ingredients together, work in the softened butter to form a stiff dough.
2. Lightly flour a flat surface, roll out the dough about 5mm thick, then cut out your shapes.
3. Place on a lightly greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes
Royal Icing
250g icing sugar
1 egg white
Squeeze lemon juice
Colouring
Decorations – silver balls, 100 & 1000s
1. Sieve the icing sugar.
2. Place the egg white and lemon juice in a bowl and gradually add the icing sugar.
3. Mixing with fork until peaks form.
4. Colour the icing as required and then pipe decorations onto the biscuits.
I let the kids decorate them for their teachers
GLUTEN FREE PECAN NUT COOKIES
125g butter
250ml gluten free flour (I use Natures Choice Self raising flour)
125ml chopped pecans
5 ml vanilla
50 ml icing sugar
1. Beat all the ingredients together well.
2. Roll into balls, flatten with a fork
3. Add a halved pecan on the top.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
CUP CAKES (this is the best recipe I have used)
125g self raising flour
125g castor sugar (I used brown and it worked fine)
125g butter
2 eggs
3 TBS milk
1/2tsp vanilla
1. Beat the flour, sugar, butter and eggs together.
2. Slowly add one tbs of milk at a time.
3. Add the vanilla and mix well.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
5. Ice as required.
German Xmas biscuit recipes-my family favourites
provided by Merle Dieterich, passionate mom and businesswoman whose 2 beautiful children, Lerato and Marvin never cease to amaze and teach her about what counts. You’ll find her at jozikids.co.za
The smell of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla and the taste of freshly home baked Xmas biscuits are the senses most evocative for me and my family for this time of the year.
The following biscuit recipes have been tried and tested by my kids and I. I discovered them when I lived in Germany where the culture of home baked Xmas biscuits is widespread and deeply rooted.
Enjoy them and please add your favourites to this list.
CINNAMON STARS / ZIMTSTERNE
Quantity: 70 stars
Oven temperature: 160 degrees
Baking Time: 7-8min
Ingredients:
500 g ground almonds
5 egg whites
450g icing sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbl rose water
Icing sugar snow for stars
Biscuit mixture
Making the stars
GERMAN LEBKUCHEN /HONEY CAKES
Quantity : 35 biscuits
Oven temperature: 220 degrees
Baking Time: 35-40 min
Ingredients:
200g honey
200g sugar
2 eggs
Freshly grated peel of a lemon
100g chopped candied orange and lemon peel
70g almond sticks
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of:
salt,grated nutmeg, cloves, cardamom
500 g flour
2 tsp backing powder
Click here to find a list of home industry suppliers on Jozikids that will help you find ingredients to make these great biscuits
Gourmet kids Xmas recipes
Recipes supplied by Richard Rust of Gourmet Gurus. Richard is a fabulous, 5 star trained, gourmet chef. He has cooked for, amongst others, British royalty, Woolworths and written for Taste magazine.
STAINED GLASS CHRISTMAS COOKIES Makes 36
250g butter, softened 
2 tsp lemon rind
½ tsp almond essence
165g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp water
335g cake flour
100g clear boiled sweets or lollies, crushed
Beat butter, rind, essence, sugar, egg and water until smooth.
Sift in the flour and knead until smooth.
Wrap in glad wrap and chill for 30minutes.
Pre-heat an oven to 170 degrees
On a floured surface roll dough to 4mm thick.
Using cookie cutters of your choice cut out shapes and
place on baking trays lined with paper.
Using a tiny cookie cutter or the handle of a wooden spoon make holes in the centre of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 5minutes, remove from oven and fill centre with the crushed sweets, return to oven for further 5minutes, Cool on a tray.
To hang on a tree simply make another small hole near the edge of the cookie before baking, when cool thread ribbon for tying onto the tree. Alternatively wrap in organza and ribbon for gifts.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES Makes +/- 50
400ml cream
800g milk or dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
Cocoa and icing sugar for dusting
Heat the cream to almost boiling point and remove from heat.
Immediately add the chocolate and sir occasionally until smooth.
Place into a tray and cool until set.
With a spoon scoop walnut size pieces and
form balls by rolling between your palms (the children will love this).
Roll each ball in either the cocoa or icing sugar, chill for 30minutes.
These make great gifts for family and friends in pretty little boxes or
are great for treats.
CHRISTMAS ICE CREAM
12 mince pies
2litres good quality Vanilla ice cream
Fill a clean clear food plastic bag with the mince pies and get the kids to smash them into little pieces.
In a large bowl place the ice cream and mix in the smashed minced pies.
Either place the mix back into the ice cream tub and freeze until served or to create individual puddings place in ramekins lined with glad wrap. (To serve the mini puddings use the glad wrap to take out the pudding)
For more information contact Richard on 074 1722312
