Weekly Recipe – Rednosed Reindeer Cake

10 November 2022

Moist, fruity cake made with Bonne Maman Preserve, stuffed with festive flavours and fantastically offered. It’s also gluten-free and dairy-free and could be made absolutely vegan. We have stacked 2 muffins collectively to make this, however one cake will make 8-10 slices. Alternatively, bake the combination in small baked bean tines to make cute particular person Rednosed Reindeer muffins to offer away as items. 

A Rednosed Reindeer Cake.

Components:

400g blended dried fruit

300ml dry cider or apple juice

225g stoned complete dates

1 tbsp blended spice

2 tbsp Bonne Maman Apricot, Mirabelle Plum or Fig Preserve

1 massive ripe banana

Finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

120g high quality polenta

2 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free baking powder if wished)

2 massive egg whites or 5 tbsp chilled aquafaba*

2 tbsp brandy or dry sherry, elective

Technique:

1. Put the dried fruit in a big mixing bowl and pour in 100ml of the cider or apple juice. Go away to soak in a single day. 
2. Warmth the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, gasoline mark 4. Line an 18cm spherical, 10cm deep cake tin or 6 small 220g baked bean tins with baking parchment.
3. Put the dates, spice, preserve and remaining 200ml cider or apple juice right into a saucepan and simmer gently for five minutes. Take off the warmth and go away to chill. 
4. In a blender or processor, puree the date combination with the banana. Switch to a mixing bowl and fold within the citrus zest, soaked dried fruit, polenta and baking powder. 
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites or aquafaba into comfortable peaks and fold into the fruit combination. Spoon into lined cake tins. 
6. Bake for 25-Half-hour for particular person muffins or 45-50 minutes for a big one, overlaying with foil after Half-hour. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake ought to come out clear when it is cooked.
7. Drizzle the brandy or sherry over the new cake, if utilizing, then go away to chill within the tin. The cooked muffins maintain nicely, wrapped in clingfilm and foil, in an hermetic tin for as much as 3 days, or could be frozen undecorated. 

Prepare dinner’s ideas

• *use aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid) to make the cake vegan. 

• Cake could be made nicely forward, wrapped in clingfilm and frozen for as much as 3 months. 

The way to beautify:

1. To make the Rednosed Reindeer Muffins, make 2 massive fruit muffins or 6 particular person muffins. 
2. Sandwich the two massive muffins along with additional Bonne Maman preserve. 
3. Roll out 300g white fondant icing and, utilizing the cake tins as a template, lower a curving line about 3cm out from the sting of the tin. 
4. Brush the highest of the cake/s with just a little additional Bonne Maman preserve and canopy the highest/s with the fondant icing. 
5. Roll 50g crimson fondant icing into 1 massive or 6 small crimson ‘noses’ and press onto the center of the cake/s.

To make the antlers

1. Utilizing 250g gingerbread biscuit dough (see our Spiced Christmas Wreath for a recipe), draw the define of two massive or 12 small antlers.
2. Minimize out, brush with crushed egg, and bake until crisp. 
3. When chilly, tape a wood skewer or cocktail keep on with the again of every antler with robust tape and push into the cake both aspect of the nostril. 
4. Alternatively, use a stiff brown card for the antlers.
5. Adorn with reg gingham ribbon and bells.