Now to the cake and other tasty morsels
CHRISTMAS wouldn't be the same, without a slice of this special cake made with Australian pecans.
Jewelled Christmas Cake.

3 cups Pecan nut pieces;  1 1/2 cups shredded coconut;
250 grams glace chopped pineapple;  250 grams sultanas;
250 grams red glace cherries, quartered;
125 gram green glace cherries, quartered;
125 grams mixed peel, chopped;  185 gr butter softened;
1 1/4 cups castor sugar;        3 eggs;  1/2 cup whisky;
1 1/2 cups plain flour;  1/4 teaspoon  bicarbonate of soda;
1/4 teas. nutmeg;   1/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt.
Combine the pecan nuts, coconut, fruits and peel in a large bowl.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.  Sift together the flour, soda and nutmeg and fold into the creamed mixture, alternating with combined buttermilk and whisky.
Add the nut and fruit mixture, combining ingredients well.
Place mixture in a greased and lined 23 cm cake pan. 
Bake in a moderately slow oven for 1 hour.  Reduce temperature to slow and bake for approximately another 2 1/2 hours or until cooked when tested.
Note .. if cake top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of foil or brown paper.
Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan, then decorate as desired.

this is a very very rich cake, but so yummy !!
Margarets Christmas Cake (Margaret Browne, Ballymakeigh House. Co Cork, Ireland)

12 oz (360 gr) softened unsalted butter;  12 oz (360g)  caster sugar;
16 oz (480 g) flour;  1/2 teas. each of cinnamon and mixed spice;
half teas. salt;   6 large eggs at room temperature.

1 small tin strawberries, drained ;   juice and grated rind of 1 orange;
1 cooking apple;      2 lbs (960gr) dried fruit  (mixture of sultanas, raisins, currants);    3 tablespoons of Irish whiskey;  
2 tabs. golden syrup;    4 oz (120g ) mixed peel;
4 oz (120 g) red cherries, chopped.
Peel and grate apple.  Put into bowl with orange juice and rind.  Add dried fruit, mixed peel, cherries and strawberries.  Add whiskey.  Mix well.  Beat the sugar and butter together until creamy.  Sieve the flour, spices and salt together.  Add 1 egg to the creamed butter and sugar.  Beat well.  Add a little flour, then the next egg.  Continue doing this until all the flour and eggs are used.  Add in the fruit mixture and mix well.  Spoon into the greased and lined cake tin.
Make a depression in the centre of cake.  This way you will have a smooth top when the cake is baked.  Leave to stand for 12-24 hours before baking.

PREHEAT OVEN to 350F / 180 C / gas mark 4.

Put cake in oven, close oven door gently.  Leave at this temperature for 1 1/2 hours.  Then lower temperature to 325 F / 160C / gas mark 3 for 1 hour, then to 275 F / 140 C / gas mark 1 for 1 hour.
Test for readiness by inserting a skewer in the cake.  If it comes out clean the cake is ready, otherwise cook for a little while longer testing all the time. 
Turn off oven.  Leave cake in the tin to cool completely, then remove it.
Wrap in greaseproof paper and store in a cool, dry place.
The topping can be put on 2 weeks before Christmas.

TO DECORATE CAKE.
Brush top with warm sieved marmalade.  Work fast as marmalade cools and thickens very quickly.
It acts as a glue for the nuts and fruit.  Choose your own selection of preserved fruit and nuts of different sizes and shapes. 
Try red, green and yellow cherries, crystallized orange peel, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds and pistachios.
Now arrange  the fruit etc in a pattern placing them very close together.  Don't allow the cake to show through.  You can work in spirals, circles, quarters, or stripes.  Warm up some more sieved marmalade and  brush it on as a plaze.

this is a delicioous Christmas Cake, tried and  tested !!
BASIC PAVLOVA (from Australia)

6 egg whites;  pinch salt;   2 cups caster sugar sifted;
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar ;  1 1/2 teas. vanilla essence.
Fruit filling (see below)

If you have a gas oven set the temperature to very hot (220 C/450 F ) before starting the mix the Pavlova.  Just before you put it in oven, reduce temperature to slow (150C / 300F).  If you have an electric oven, preheat oven to slow from the beginning.
Beat the egg whites with salt, using rotary beater or an electric mixer set at highest speed.
When soft peaks form, add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition.  Stop beating when the last tablespoon of sugar has been added, and lightly fold in the vinegar and vanilla.
Draw a circle 18 cm (7 inches) in diameter on greaseproof paper or foil and place on a baking tray.
Brush the paper with oil.  Heap the Pavlova mixture into the circle and use the back of a spoon to make a slight depression in the centre, moulding up the sides a little so there will be room for the topping.
Place the Pavlova in the oven (remembering to turn the hear down if using a gas oven), and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until crisp on top and a pale straw colour.  Turn off the heat and leave in oven until cold.

Suggested Fillings
Top Pavlova with whipped cream and then with your choice of fruit.  Passionfruit and strawberries, kiwi fruit, fresh or canned peaches, plums or apricots, or sliced banana dipped in lemon juice and sprinkled with toasted coconut are all delicious.  Drain canned fruits well.

For a Party, you may like to sprinkle thePavlova with blanced slivered almonds before baking.
They will toast to a golden brown, adding crunch as well as flavour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Made Christmas 1999 upgraded Christmas 2002