In Praise Of … … Apples and Oranges This month we showcase two fruits. Apples are in season and can be used for so many desserts and oranges, which some people say are a little symbol of the summer sun to reassure us that the days will soon be getting longer. Oranges are a fruit for Christmas and work well with both sweet and savoury dishes. They are often found in children’s Christmas stockings…. Here are three recipes to celebrate apples and oranges in all their glory. Enjoy. Date, Chocolate and Orange Christmas Cake Prep time 30 minutes; cooking time 2 hours, 30 minutes. Serves 4 Ingredients 3 medium eggs, beaten 200g plain flour 50g ground almonds 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp ground cardamom 120g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
450g medjool dates, pitted 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 200g raisins 150g sultanas 150g dried cranberries 100ml brandy, plus extra to brush 200g dark muscovado sugar 150g unsalted butter Juice and zest of 2 oranges
Method Grease a deep, round 23cm cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of baking paper, allowing it to extend about 10cm above the rim. Heat the oven to 140C (130C fan)/300F/gas 2. Chop the dates into small pieces, put them in a bowl with 250ml boiling water and the bicarb., stir and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Put all the other dried fruit into a large saucepan with the brandy, sugar, butter, orange zest and juice and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, stir in the softened dates and leave to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, stir in the beaten eggs. 27
