Chocolate Fruit Cake Food

CHOCOLATE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Put the butter, sugar, chocolate, brandy, vanilla and dried fruits into a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until everything has melted together. Remove from the heat.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep cake tin, 20cm round or 18cm square, with a double layer of baking parchment. Wrap a few layers of newspaper around the outside and secure with string.
• Mix the flour, almonds, cocoa and spice together. Stir the eggs into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture in the saucepan, followed by the flour mixture. Scrape into your prepared tin and bake for 1½ hrs- 1 hr 45 mins or until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin, then decorate (see 'Goes well with', right, for decoration ideas). Greaseproof-wrapped cake will keep for 2 months in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Line the sides and bottom of an 8 by 3 1/2-inch deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of reusable silicon baking parchment. When lining the tin with the parchment, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.
• Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange zest and juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
• Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.
• Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.
• To decorate, place the chocolate-covered coffee beans in the centre of the cake and arrange edible gold stars around the perimeter of the top of the cake (if you can find them- not listed in ingredients as Zaar will not accept). Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole cake and sprinkle the top with edible glitter.

CHOCOLATE FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Line the sides and bottom of an 8 by 3 1/2-inch deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of reusable silicon baking parchment. When lining the tin with the parchment, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.
• Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange zest and juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
• Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.
• Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.
• To decorate, place the chocolate-covered coffee beans in the centre of the cake and arrange the gold stars around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole cake and sprinkle the top with edible glitter.

CHOCOLATE AND FRUIT TRIFLE

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter according to package directions; pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Crumble enough cake to measure 8 cups; set aside. (Save remaining cake for another use.) , In a large bowl, whisk the milk, water and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in the whipped cream. , To assemble, spread 2-1/2 cups pudding mixture in a 4-qt. glass bowl. Top with half the crumbled cake; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon orange juice. Arrange half the berries and kiwi over cake. , Repeat pudding and cake layers; sprinkle with remaining orange juice. Top with remaining pudding mixture. Spoon remaining fruit around edge of bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED FRUITCAKE BALLS

Steps:

• In a food processor grind the fruitcake until it forms a ball, scoop up rounded teaspoons of it, and with dampened hands form them into balls. Let the balls stand, uncovered, in a jelly-roll pan lined with wax paper for 30 minutes. In a small metal bowl set in a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth, and remove the bowl from the pan. Balancing the fruitcake balls, 1 at a time, on the tines of a fork, dip them into the chocolate, letting the excess drip off, and transfer them to the wax paper, reserving the remaining chocolate for another use. Chill the balls for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is hardened. The fruitcake balls keep, covered and chilled, for 1 week.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180C.).
• A day or so before you make the cake, toss the cherries in 1/4 cup liquor. Cover, and let macerate (soak up the liquor).
• To bake the cakes, grease two 9-inch(23cm)loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper and dust with cocoa powder.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, or by hand,.
• beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Stir together the eggs and yolk with the vanilla, then dribble them in while beating.
• Mix in one-third of the flour/cocoa mixture, then half of the buttermilk or yogurt. Then mix in another third of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the yogurt or buttermilk. Finally, add the remaining dry ingredients, and gently stir in the nuts, chocolate chips and cherries.(which should have absorbed all the liquid. If not, add that as well.).
• Divide and smooth the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes, or unril a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand on the counter-top for about 15 minutes.
• With a skewer, poke about 50 holes in the cake and spoon 3 tablespoons of liquor over each cake. Let cool.

CHOCOLATE FRUIT COCKTAIL CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan; set aside. Place cake mix, pudding mix, fruit cocktail and its juice, eggs, oil and finely chopped pecans in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Combine light brown sugar and coarsely chopped pecans in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the top of the cake. Bake until the pecans look toasty and the center springs back when lightly touched in the center, about 40-45 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the glaze. Place butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the coarsely chopped pecans. Keep warm. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Spread glaze over warm cake, spreading evenly. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH PASSION FRUIT ICING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking parchment. Beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale, light and fluffy - this is easiest using a freestanding machine or an electric hand-held mixer. Gradually add the egg, a little at a time, beating well between each addition.
• Sift both flours, the bicarbonate of soda and the cocoa into a bowl. Add half the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture and fold in using a large metal spoon. In another bowl, mix the soured cream and cream cheese together until smooth. Add half to the cake batter and fold in. Repeat this process with the remaining flour and soured cream, and mix until smooth. Pour into the cake tin. Bake on the middle shelf for 1 hr or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack and removing the baking parchment.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until pale and softly whipped. Add the icing sugar and whisk until smooth, then add the cream cheese and whisk again. Sieve the juice from the passion fruits, reserving the pulp and seeds. Add the juice to the icing.
• To assemble, split the cake into 3 even layers and place the bottom layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread one-third of the icing over the bottom layer, swirling out to the edges. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers of cake and icing, finishing with a layer of icing. Top with the passion fruit pulp and seeds. Serve straight away. Will keep for 3 days, chilled - but bring back to room temperature before serving.