Ms Noonies Good Nut Cake Food

HONEY NUT COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the peanut topping: In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, honey, and cream. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, until a bit lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Add the peanuts and cook until the caramel thickens slightly, 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the cake batter.
• Prepare the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round springform pan.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture, then the milk, and then the last half of the flour mixture.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Dollop the top of the batter with the peanut mixture and spread it out evenly. Bake the cake until the top is caramelized, the cake is set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 55 to 65 minutes. Cover the cake with foil if it starts to brown too quickly.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes, then remove the ring and let the cake cool completely before serving.

MS. NOONIE'S GOOD NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease tube pan with butter.
• In a medium bowl, mix cake flour, self rising flour, salt and nuts. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth.
• Pour into tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

FESTIVE FRUIT & NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C and lightly grease and line the base and sides of a deep 22-23cm round loose-based cake tin with Bake-o-Glide or baking parchment (see overleaf). Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds and spices until thoroughly mixed and creamy, preferably with an electric beater or in a food mixer.
• Measure off 100g/4oz of the cake mixture, put in a bowl and set aside. Fold the fruit and rum into the remaining mixture, then gently stir in the marzipan. Spoon this mixture into the prepared cake tin and flatten with a spatula to make a smooth even surface, then make a slight dip in the centre of the cake. This simple trick will give the finished cake a nice flat top. Bake for 11⁄4 hours.
• While the cake is in the oven, make the fruit and nut topping. Mix all the nuts, cherries and syrup into the remaining cake mixture (see tip overleaf). Spoon the mixture on top of the part-cooked cake (once it has had its 11⁄4 hours), evenly distributing the mixture of nuts and cherries across the surface of the cake. Loosely cover the top of the tin with foil.
• Return to the oven for 40 minutes more, then take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, so the nuts can turn golden. Keep an eye on them, so they don't get too dark. To test the cake mixture is cooked, insert a fine skewer into the cake - if it comes out clean then it's ready. Cool in the tin then turn out, keeping the lining on, and wrap with foil. (The cake will keep for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To serve, remove the cake from the foil and strip away the lining. Place on a board or serving plate and tie with a decorative ribbon.