Christmas Almond Sherry Cake Food

SHERRY & ALMOND CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Mix the fruit, zest, juice and sherry, and leave overnight to soak. Next day, heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and double-line a deep, 20cm round cake tin. Wrap the outside with brown paper or newspaper and secure with string, as this will protect the sides from overcooking.
• Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together until pale and creamy. Mix the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice together, then tip into the butter mix with the eggs. Beat until combined and smooth. Stir in the whole almonds, fruit and any leftover juices, turn into the tin, then smooth the top and make a dip in the middle. Bake for 1½ hrs.
• Turn down the oven to 140C/fan 130C/ gas 2, then bake for 1½ hrs more until dark on the top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, or with a few damp crumbs clinging to it. Once cool enough to handle, turn onto a cooling rack and peel away the lining paper. Cool completely.
• Keep the cake well wrapped, then feed once a fortnight with 1-2 tbsp sherry. Poke holes into the cake with a skewer and slowly spoon over the sherry. If you don't have time to do this, this cake is delicious freshly made, and can be covered and decorated as soon as it has completely cooled down.

CHRISTMAS ALMOND SHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan,set aside. In a large bowl,combine cake mix,eggs,oil, pudding mix and nutmeg. Mix at low speed minute, scrapping bowl constantly.Mix at medium speed 3 minutes,scrapping bowl occasionally. Pour half of batter into pre-pared pan. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel Filling. Pour in remaining cake batter. Bake at 350 45-50 minutes. Unmold from pan, cool completely on rack. Brush with Sherry Glaze. Garnich with 1/4 cup almonds.
• 2. STREUSEL FILLING: Mix 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour,3 tablespoons firm butter and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon together unyil crumbly. Stir in 3/4 cup toasted "Blue DIAMOND SLICED NATURAL ALMONDS."
• 3. SHERRY GLAZE: Stir together 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 tablespoon Cream Sherry. Stir in 1-2 teaspoons hot water, until glaze is of desired consistency. Merry Christmas to all!..... Nancy 12/12/11

MOM'S SHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• (This recipe has three separate portions to combine together: the cake, the cinnamon mixture, and the frosting.) Combine cake ingredients and mix for 5 minutes in mixer on medium speed.
• Combine cinnamon mixture.
• Butter the sides and bottom of Bundt or angel food tin.
• Sprinkle part of cinnamon mixture into pan covering sides and bottom.
• Then pour cake batter into pan in three alternating layers with cinnamon mixture, ending with cinnamon mixture.
• Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, checking to make sure the sugar on the outside of the cake does not burn.
• Let cool; place on serving plate.
• Mix together powdered sugar and enough milk to make a "drizzly" consistency of frosting, then drizzle over the sides (both inside and outsides).
• Let frosting set before serving.
• Note: if your oven runs hot, you might want to try baking for 35 minutes to begin with, then remove cake from oven and taste-check a portion of the cake which doesn't show easily (such as the inner ring) to make sure the sugar coating isn't burning and the cake isn't drying out. Thank you, Michelle S., for the input that prompted me to edit the recipe for this! :).

ALMOND SHERRY CHRISTMAS TRIFLE

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter sheet pans, then line bottoms with parchment paper and butter parchment. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Break up almond paste with your fingers into a food processor. Pulse until coarsely ground, then add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and process until very finely ground.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl and whisk in yolks, milk, and extracts.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. With mixer at low speed, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a slow stream. Beat at medium-high speed until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Fold one third of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining 3/4 cup flour.
• Divide batter between pans, spreading evenly, and rap pans against counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Bake cakes, switching position halfway through, until pale golden and springy to the touch, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool in pans until warm. Invert onto racks lined with parchment. Carefully peel off parchment from tops and cool completely.
• While cake layers cool, pulse preserves in cleaned food processor until smooth.
• Assemble trifle:
• Trim 1/2 inch from edges of 1 cake layer with a serrated knife to make a 14-by 9-inch rectangle, reserving trimmings; with short end nearest you, halve cake lengthwise. Brush top with some of syrup, then spread 1/4 cup preserves over each piece, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Beginning with a short end, roll up each piece tightly to form a log. Repeat with remaining cake layer. (You will have 4 logs total.)
• Spoon 1 cup custard into bottom of trifle dish.
• Cut 1 log into 5 rounds with serrated knife, then halve each round. Brush generously with syrup all over. Stand half-moons, curved sides up, around edge of trifle dish (at bottom), arranging them snugly and pressing against side to help them adhere. Tear reserved trimmings into pieces, then dip in syrup and arrange over custard in center of dish.
• Cut and brush remaining logs in same manner, arranging slices, curved sides down, against side of trifle dish above first layer (there may be some left over).
• Add remaining custard. Brush any remaining cake slices with syrup and arrange in center over custard.
• Chill trifle, covered, at least 8 hours.
• Make praline almonds:
• Have ready an unoiled sheet of parchment paper or lightly oiled foil.
• Heat almonds in a dry small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until almonds are hot but not colored. Add confectioners sugar and cook, stirring and tossing, until almonds are lightly toasted and sugar glaze is caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes (not all sugar on almonds will melt completely). Immediately transfer to parchment, spreading in 1 layer. Cool completely.
• Make topping just before serving:
• Beat cream with Sherry and sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon over top of trifle and sprinkle with praline almonds.

ALMOND RAISIN CAKE WITH SHERRY

Steps:

• Tip the raisins into a bowl, pour over the sherry, then leave for at least 30 mins to soften. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly grease a deep 20cm round cake tin, then line the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper.
• Mix together the yogurt, oil and eggs. Put the remaining dry ingredients into a large bowl, pour in the yogurt mixture, then stir together until smooth. Scoop half the raisins out of the sherry, then stir into the batter. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with a spoon. Cook in the oven for 50-55 mins until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• Take a skewer and prick all over the cake. Pour over 5 tbsp of the soaking sherry and let it soak in. You can make up to this point 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container. Serve warm or leave to cool, then dust with icing sugar. Warm the rest of the soaked raisins and sherry, then serve alongside the cake with some vanilla ice cream.

SHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and flour 10-inch bundt pan.
• In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, cooking oil, sherry, the 1 T butter flavoring and the nutmeg.
• Blend at low speed till combined.
• Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Pour 1/3 cup batter into bundt pan.
• Combine the sugar and cinnamon.
• Sprinkle half of the sugar and cinnamon mixture over batter in pan.
• Add another 1/3 of the cake batter in pan.
• Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture.
• Top with remaining batter.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
• Let cake cool in pan for about 15 minutes before placing on cake plate.
• For glaze, mix together the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla, milk and butter flavoring until smooth.
• Spoon over warm cake.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHERRY CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• To prepare the cake
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a buttered 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep) with a round of foil and butter foil.
• In a food processor grind almonds fine with 1/4 cup sugar. Add chocolate and, pulsing motor, chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks with 1/4 cup remaining sugar until thick and pale and stir in almond mixture. (Mixture will be very stiff.)
• In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites with salt until just stiff. Stir one third whites into almond mixture to lighten it and fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. let cake cool in pan on a rack about 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl stir together orange juice, Sherry, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved. With a skewer poke holes evenly in top of cake and spoon juice mixture evenly over cake.
• Let cake cool completely. Run knife around edge of pan and invert cake onto plate (discard foil). Cake keeps, wrapped and chilled, 5 days.
• To prepare the sauce
• In a small saucepan heat half-and-half over moderate heat until it barely simmers. In a small bowl whisk together yolk, sugar, Sherry, and a pinch of salt.
• Whisk 1/4 cup half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper it and pour yolk mixture into remaining half-and-half, whisking.
• Cook sauce over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened (160°F. on a candy thermometer), about 3 minutes, being careful not to let it boil. Transfer sauce to a small pitcher and chill, covered partially, at least 30 minutes. Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days. Makes about 2/3 cups.
• To prepare the pears
• Cut pear (unpeeled) into eights and trim core. In a heavy 8-inch skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until melted and foamy. Add pear wedges and sauté 1 minute on each side. Sprinkle sugar over pear wedges and sauté, turning a few times, until sugar is caramelized and pear is tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Serve cake at room temperature with Sherry custard sauce and caramelized pears.

SHERRY, ALMOND & ORANGE PANDORO

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, mascarpone, half the sherry, 3/ 4 of the zest and the icing sugar until the mixture is floppy and just holds its shape.
• Cut the pandoro horizontally into five slices. Put the bottom piece on a serving plate or cake stand and drizzle over a little of the remaining sherry. Spoon over a quarter of the cream mixture and top with a handful of the almonds (saving enough for each layer and to decorate the top). Add the next layer of pandoro and continue to sandwich the layers together, rotating each at a different angle so that you create the shape of a Christmas tree.
• Dust with icing sugar, then dot over the gold leaf (if using) along with the remaining almonds and orange zest.

ALMOND SHERRY BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
• In large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, sherry, oil, pudding mix and nutmeg.
• Mix at low speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary.
• Mix at medium speed 3 minutes, again scraping bowl as necessary.
• (Or beat by hand about 5 minutes.).
• Pour half the batter into bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl mix first 4 streusel filling ingredients until crumbly.
• Sprinkle evenly over batter in bundt pan.
• Pour in remaining cake batter.
• Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack 15 minutes.
• Unmold from pan and cool completly on rack.
• To make the glaze, mix together the sugar, butter and sherry.
• Add hot water slowly until desired consistency.
• Brush completely cooled cake with sherry glaze and garnish with almond slices.