Recipes

Individual Christmas cakes

Nov 28, 2015

You can’t escape the scent of Christmas cakes throughout December while you’re shopping, so head home and make these great-looking and much healthier individual serves for the big day.

Makes 12

Ingredients

250 g pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup dried goji berries
juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup brandy
100 g butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup brazil nuts, finely chopped and toasted
1 cup macadamias, finely chopped and toasted
2 teaspoons mixed spice
4 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
36 whole blanched almonds

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases.

2. Put the dates, goji berries, orange juice and zest, and brandy in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes, or until the brandy has reduced by half and the dates have slightly softened. Transfer to a large, heatproof bowl and set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.

3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the date mixture in the bowl and mix well to combine. Spoon evenly into the patty cases. (The mixture will sit high in the patty cases.) Top each with 3 almonds, then bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. When they’re cooked, a skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.