Vanile Kipferl

Okay, so here it is.  THAT biscuit recipe.

I don’t consider this to be one of Mum’s traditional recipes, but somehow they became and institution.  In truth, this recipe came from a Hungarian woman who did tuck-shop duty with Mum when I was in high school.  They are meant for Christmas.

Mum would make vast amounts of these for the simple reason that they kept really well.  She stored them in tins on top of the kitchen cupboards.  (She had lovely old Arnott’s biscuit tins with beautiful pictures on them.)  Inside she would have pieces of cardboard cut to the side of the tins and covered in foil to make layers and layers of biscuits in each tin.  When people stopped by she was able to pull out some lovely little homemade shortbreads.

Here is the recipe…

 

250g soft unsalted butter

150g ground hazelnuts and almonds

400g self-raising flour

50g icing sugar mixture

1 tsp vanilla sugar

 

Extra:

100g icing sugar mixture

1tsp vanilla sugar

 

Combine first five ingredients, mixing well by hand.

Roll heaped teaspoonfuls on mixture into ropes, then form into horseshoe shapes.

Bake in a moderate oven for about 12 minutes.

While still hot, roll in extra icing and vanilla sugar mixture.

Store in foil, in an airtight tin, when cool.

 

Yield 60-70

Christmas Cake

THE recipe.

Yes, this really is it.

This cake has been eaten in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Nepal, UK, Canada, Antarctica…  and that is just by us (let me know if I have left anywhere out)

Mum usually made this around the end of October or the beginning of November, starting my leaving the chopped fruit soaking in rum for a few days.  She would also periodically turn the cake while it was stored, flipping it from time to time to keep it moist through.

As an interesting anecdote, I have “refreshed” old sections of this cake after several months by sprinkling it with more rum.  (I don’t actually like the cake myself, but feel compelled, every few years, to bake one for old time’s sake.)

65g apricots or crystallised pineapple

65g crystallised ginger

65g figs

65g dates

250g sultanas

250g currants

250g raisins

125g chopped peel

65g almonds

65g walnuts

65g drained cherries

½ cup of rum

250g butter

250g brown sugar

5 eggs

1 teaspoon Parisian essence

1 teaspoon almond essence

1 teaspoon glycerine

2 teaspoons of golden syrup

2 teaspoons of raspberry or plum jam

Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

315g plain flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

 

Chop up all fruits and add rum.  Cover.  Allow to stand overnight (at least).

Line an 8” square or round tin with one thickness of brown paper and then one thickness of greaseproof paper.

Cream butter and sugar well.

Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly.

Add essences, glycerine, golden syrup, jam, lemon rind and lemon juice.

Add sifted dry ingredients and fruit alternately to mixture until it has all been added.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.  Decorate the top of the cake with cherries and almonds.  Bake at 150-160^oC, with the top element off, for 3 to 3½ hours.  (Bake at 150^oC for 4½ to 3 hours for double the mixture.)

When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and trickle 2 tablespoons of rum over the cake while it is still hot.  Wrap the cake, tin and all, in several layers of brown paper and then in a towel and allow to cool slowly.  (It is nice to bake the cake several weeks before Christmas.  Unwrap the cake, trickle a little more rum over it and re-wrap it in paper to help keep it moist.)

Rum Balls

We grew up with rum as the alcholic flavouring of choice.  Some people use brandy or whisky in various things.  For us it was always rum.  Rum balls were always a part of the Christmas season.

Yes, I know.  Everyone has a recipe for rum balls.  This is ours.  I particularly like the measurement for the rum.

 

1 packet of Marie biscuits

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 ½ Tbsp cocoa

1 tin condensed milk

2 “overflowing teaspoons” of rum (about 1-2 Tbsp)

 

Extra desiccated coconut for coating (alternatives include cocoa, chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles)

 

Crush the biscuits into fine, sand-like crumbs

Combine all the ingredients

Roll into balls

Roll in coconut to coat

Refrigerate