Angela Nilsens Christmas Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins until very creamy and pale in colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through. Stir in a spoonful of the flour, then stir in the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well each time with a wooden spoon. Stir in the almonds.
• Mix in the sherry (the mix will look curdled), then add the peel, cherries, raisins, cherries, nuts, lemon zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla. Beat together to mix, then stir in the baking powder.
• Spoon mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 mins, then lower temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake a further 2-2¼ hrs, until a skewer insterted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then take out of the tin and peel off the lining paper. When completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil to store until ready to decorate. The cake will keep for several months.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom with waxed paper; spray and lightly flour paper. Generously spray and flour 10-oz. custard cup.
• In large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil and egg whites; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour 1/2 cup batter into sprayed and floured custard cup. Pour remaining batter evenly into sprayed and floured paper-lined pan.
• Bake at 350°F. until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Bake custard cup for 20 to 30 minutes; bake 13x9-inch pan for 28 to 33 minutes. Cool cakes in pan and cup for 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack; remove pan, cup and paper. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.
• Invert large cake onto flat serving tray or foil-covered 20x15-inch cardboard. To form angel shape, starting at center of one short side, make 2 diagonal cuts to corners of opposite short side, forming a triangular piece in center. Separate piece 1 and 2 from piece 3 at bottom of cake to form wings. (See diagrams.)
• For angel's halo and head, flatten foil baking cup; place at point of center triangle between wings. Invert small round cake onto halo.
• In medium bowl, combine frosting and whipped topping; blend well. Reserve 1/4 cup frosting mixture for hair. Frost sides and tops of cake pieces. Sprinkle coconut over wings. Sprinkle wings with edible glitter.
• Place candies on cake for eyes, mouth and buttons. Add yellow food color to reserved frosting; blend well. Spread or pipe frosting on head for hair. Cut wafer cookie and add to cake for songbook. Attach small candies with frosting for hands. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Break the candy bars into bits and drop them into a saucepan. Add the butter and melt, over lowish heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. When everything is melted (the nougat-like layer takes the longest to go), tip in the cereal and turn them, with your rubber spatula, in the chocolate mixture until they are all pretty well coated.
• Fill the mini muffin papers with the mixture and put in the refrigerator, on a small sheet pan or tray, for at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with a layer of paper towels. Quarter, core, peel and slice apples quite thin (about 5 mm thick) and lay onto paper towels. Set another layer of paper towels on top, to absorb any liquid. Set aside.
• For pastry, beat 225 g butter and 50g sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Add one whole egg, and one yolk (reserve white for later). Beat together for 1 minute. Work in flour with a wooden spoon, 1/3 at a time until it starts to clump together, then mix in the rest with your hands. Form into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough 45 minutes.
• Mix 140g sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a large bowl.
• Once pastry has chilled, heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius Lightly beat egg white with a fork. Cut off one third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest.
• Line a 20-22 cm pie dish with pastry, leaving a slight overhang. Roll remaining third to a circle about 28cm (to cover, with a couple of cm.s to spare).
• Pat apples dry with kitchen paper. Tip apples into bowl with cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss through. Pile high into pastry-lined pie dish.
• Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay pastry lid over the apples, pressing edges together to seal. Trim edges with a sharp knife and make 5 small slashes on top of lid to allow steam to escape.
• Brush pie with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 40-45 minutes until golden.
• Sprinkle with more sugar and serve warm with ice cream or cream.