Christmas Trifle – This is the way my mother used to make it

1 Jam Swiss roll

1 large tin mixed fruit salad
1 Jelly – I usually use red

Drain the tinned fruit and keep the juice
Slice the Swiss roll and arrange the slices around the sides and base of a largish bowl
Put some of the fruit evenly around the lined bowl
Add a few more slices of jam roll
Then add rest of the fruit

Melt the jelly crystals in about 250 mls of hot water. When they have dissolved top the liquid up with the reserved fruit juice to the 500ml level (jelly is supposed to be made with 500ml) If you want the jelly to be firmer make the liquid up to a bit less.
At this stage if you wish to put sherry or the like into the trifle, sprinkle it over the Swiss roll. When kids are involved I leave this out.
Pour the liquid jelly mixture over the roll and fruit in the bowl so that the roll soaks up the jelly.

Refrigerate until jelly is set

When set make up 500ml custard using custard powder.
I use 2tblesps custard powder and 2 tblsps sugar to 500 ml milk. As with all powders, mix a little cold milk with the powder first and add to the warming milk. Keep stirring so that the custard cooks evenly and does not make lumps. Cook until the custard thickens. Allow to cool and pour on top of the trifle. (The purist will stir the custard all the time as it cools so it does not form a skin!!) 

Shortbread

250gm butter (Coles cheap butter is fine) slightly softened 
      - if I take it from the frig I give it 10 secs in the microwave
1/2 cup caster sugar
12 heaped tblsp plain flour

(The original recipe was 8oz butter, 4oz sugar, 12oz plain flour - which gives you the proportions)

Put the flour and sugar in a food processor and give a quick burst to mix it.
Add the butter preferably cut up a bit
Process until it forms into a ball of dough
      If it seems to be a bit soft and not forming into a ball add a bit more flour!
      If it does not form a ball take out on to a floured board and kneed a little until it combines.
Press evenly into a greased lamington tin (line the base if you like to make taking out easier)
Prick the top all over with a fork and use the prongs of the fork to press a pattern around the edge.
Cook for about 35 mins at about 350 degrees C
Keep an eye on it and take it out of the oven when it begins to go golden on top. 
    During cooking it will rise a bit in the middle but when it is done it will flatten out.

The temp and time are variable depending on the oven

While warm, sprinkle caster sugar over the top and while still warm and still in the tin, cut in pieces.
If you cut it when cold it may crumble.
Keeps for ages!

Black Forest Cheese Cake

Crumb Crust

250 gm Chocolate biscuits
125 gm butter

Filling

½ Cup water
1 tblsp Gelatine
250 gm packet cream cheese
¾ cup sugar
300ml thickened cream
1tblsp lemon juice
425 gm can pitted black cherries

Topping

1tblpsp cornflour
1tblsp rum
1tbspn sugar

Crush biscuits and mix with melted butter. Press into base and sides of 20cm springform pan.
Refrigerate while making the filling

Have cream cheese at room temperature. Beat with sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Sprinkle gelatine over cold water and dissolve over hot water. (I put it in the microwave for a few seconds). Add to the cream cheese mixture beat well and then fold in the whipped cream. Drain the cherries and reserve ¾ cup of the syrup.
Spoon 1/3  of the filling over the base and arrange half the cherries over it. Add another 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top and arrange the rest of the cherries evenly on it. Top evenly with the rest of the filling. Refrigerate till firm.

For the topping
Place sugar with the reserved juice in a saucepan. Mix the cornflour with a little of the cold juice so that lumps do not form when heating. Stir the juice and sugar over heat and gradually add the cornflour mixture. Stir till boiling, remove from the heat and add the rum. Stir for a few minutes and allow to cool slightly. Pour on top of the cheese cake and swirl lightly with a spoon to make a pattern on top.

If you wish you can pipe whipped cream around the edge but I think there is probably enough cream in the cheesecake!

Note. For Christmas in 2014 and to feed over 30 people I made 3x the mixture and put in two springform pans 23cm and 25cm.

Choc Weet Bix Slice

This is for you Marky!

Ingredients:
1 cup SR Flour
1 tbs cocoa powder
4 Weetbix, finely crushed
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
140g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbs cocoa powder
20g unsalted butter, melted
Boiling water

Steps:
Preheat oven to 180*C and grease 18cm square cake tin and line with baking paper.
Sift flour and cocoa powder in large bowl.  Add Weetbix, coconut and sugar and stir.
Add butter and vanilla. Mix well.

Press into prepared tin.
Bake 10-12 min and cool in tin for 10 min.

To make icing, sift icing sugar, cocoa powder.  Add butter and 1tb boiling water to make thick icing.

Ice slice while still warm. Leave to cool to room temperature for icing to set.

Orange Drizzle Cake

Chocolate Mousse

125gm cooking chocolate
4 eggs - separated
2 tablespoons caster sugar
little cream (optional)
2 tblsp brandy or rum (optional)

Melt the chocolate over a bowl of hot water (you can melt it in the microwave but if you do it too fast you will ruin the chocolate – I always seem to do that!)
Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat for 2mins or until smooth.
Add the brandy or rum and beat for another 2 mins
Remove from heat.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in the chocolate mixture.
Pour into individual glasses or one large bowl

This makes 4 individual servings

Pineapple fruit cake

This recipe is quick, easy and has not failed me in 30 years!

1 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple (440gm)
500gm mixed fruit (I buy the ready mixed fruit but sometimes throw in some extra cherries, seeded raisins or chopped figs. I also add chopped nuts sometimes - especially at Christmas)
1-2 tsp. mixed spice
1 tsp. bicarb. soda
125gm butter
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
2 large eggs - well beaten

Put the sugar, pineapple (including the syrup), fruit, spice, bicarb, and butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for a maximum of 3 minutes. Leave until cold. Sift the flours and stir in the cold fruit mixture and the beaten eggs.
Cook in a large square cake tin lined with aluminium foil for 1 hour at a moderate oven and then reduce the heat to a moderately slow oven (350° down to 300°F, or 175° down to 150°C) until it is cooked. I cover the cake loosely with foil after about an hour to stop the top from burning.