Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Gardening phone-in and alternative Christmas cakes

Sue McNally joins Phil to offer up some top winter gardening advice and to answer your horticultural questions, then after 1pm, with Christmas rapidly approaching, Christine Wallace will be getting the ball rolling with some alternative Christmas cake suggestions.

2 hours

Clip

Recipe: Christines Cupcake Christmas Tree

Recipe: Christines Cupcake Christmas Tree

You will need 12" high oasis cone (you can get them at craft shops or online)

1 sheet of green tissue paper

A stabilising round board with a spike in the centre (A cake board with a large nail fixed in place will do the trick)

8 Green or red mini cake cases

25 Green or red bun cake cases

7 Green or red muffin cake cases

Wooden skewers

Edible decorations of your choice

Star on a wire stem (for the top)

I tried to make these little cakes taste of Christmas so added currants, cherries grated orange rind and mixed spice to a basic sponge. I also put almond extract in the icing so the flavours of Christmas Cake were basically there!!

RECIPE

285gms Unsalted Butter - room temperature

285gms Golden Caster Sugar

285gms S.R. Flour

5 Large Eggs - beaten

170gms Currants

100gms Glace Cherries - washed and quartered

1 teasp Mixed Spice

1 Large Orange - zest only, grated.

ICING

340gms Unsalted Butter - room temperature

170gms Full fat Cream Cheese

850gms Sieved Icing Sugar

1½ Teasp Almond Extract

Red and Green Food Colouring

The mixture will need to be divided as follows:

8 x Mini Cakes

25 Bun Cakes

7 Muffin Cakes

METHOD

Set the oven to 180°C Fan.

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2. Gradually beat in the eggs adding a little flour towards the end to prevent curdling

3. Fold in the flour, spice, orange zest, currants and cherries.

4. Bake for 12 mins mini cakes, 14 - 16 mins bun cakes and 19 - 20 mins muffin cakes.

5. Leave to cool

6. Make the icing by beating all the ingredients together except the colours.

7. Take out a good heaped tablespoonful and colour red, cover and set aside. If you want a third colour for a any design you have in mind, separate off.

8. Colour the rest a strong green cover and set aside.

9. Place your oasis cone on the spike and cover with the tissue paper.

10. Fix your cakes on to the cone using the wooden skewers starting with the 7 muffin sizes, then the bun size, then the minis at the top. Make sure the skewers are place slightly upwards otherwise the cakes will fall off!

11. Place the green icing in a large icing bag with a medium sized rosette nozzle and pipe each cake from top to bottom right across each one as per the photo.

12. Use the red icing in a separate bag with small star or rosette nozzle to place in random places as 'baubles'.

13. Add any other decorations you have and place the star down the middle at the top.

Broadcast

  • Sun 22 Nov 2015 12:00