Christmas Desserts
For many of us Christmas can be a time to indulge a little and enjoy a treat or two... Daniela and Stefania show us some of their favourite Italian style desserts that are as easy as they are delicious.
Strufoli
Ingredients
350 g plain flour 3 eggs
30 g butter
100 g sugar
1⁄2 cup milk
1 pinch of bicarb of soda zest of 1 lemon
Extra light olive oil to fry
Coating
350 g honey
100gm sugar
450 g roasted almonds
Hundreds and thousands
Method
Put flour, eggs, milk, butter, sugar, lemon zest and bicarb in a bowl and mix until combined and pulls away from the bowl.
Form balls of the mixture the size of a 5-cent coin.
Prepare a deep-fryer with extra light olive oil, and when hot, deep-fry the balls until golden brown.
Repeat this process until all the balls have been fried.
Place the honey in a large pan with sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the strufoli and the almonds.
Once fully coated on a sheet of baking paper form your wheel or whatever shape you wish and decorate with hundreds and thousands!
Chiffon cake with candied fruit
Ingredients
5 egg yolks
11⁄2 cups self-raising flour
3⁄4 cup caster sugar
3⁄4 cup orange juice
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
1 lemon/orange grated zest
Mixture 2
7 egg whites
3⁄4 cup caster sugar 1⁄2 tsp. cream of tartar
50gm of pistachio nuts
50gm of candied fruit
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Beat the egg whites from Mixture 2, until stiff; gradually add the sugar and the cream of tartar. Set aside.
In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks from Mixture 1, add sifted flour, and the rest of the ingredients, and mix together until combined.
Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture until well combined. Pour a bit into your ungreased chiffon tin add your fruit and nuts them pour over remaining mixture.
Cook for 1 hour (depending on your oven), until it's brown on top.
Take it out of the oven and cool upside down until completely cold.
Go around the tin carefully with a knife to detach the cake. Make sure you go around the middle ring as well.
The cake will flip into your hands, and then run the knife along the bottom of the tin as well. Tip it over a plate, sprinkle some icing sugar and enjoy a slice of it!
Alternatively use sultanas only.