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FRUIT GROG POT.
Many Australian cooks have a “Dried Fruit Grog Pot”. Its contents are fabulous for fruit cakes, chocolate cakes, or eating with plain yoghurt. Begin with the following recipe, but as you use it, feel free to add more dried fruits and alcohol. The following simple instructions work well, but many complicated recipes can be found on the net.
First, make the Dried Fruit Grog Pot:
8 cups of seedless and pipless dried fruit-apricots, cranberries, dates, pears, prunes, sultanas, etc.- and candied peels.
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
zest of 3 oranges (no pith)
2 cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Add all dry ingredients to a large, lidded vessel and mix well. Cover with a spirit of choice, even mix spirits. Let this sit in a cool place for at least a month before using it, stirring it at least twice a week.
Note: Be certain that all seeds are removed before marinating. Some people add nuts, but this is not always a great idea because nuts can become unpleasantly soggy and lose their character.
FRUIT CAKE, rich, moist and heavenly.
Ingredients:
6 ½ cups dried fruit, pre-soaked for at least a week in 2 cups of vodka, gin, brandy, rum or any other spirit, or 6 cups of fruit from your Grog Pot.
1¾ cups of plain white flour
1 cup of cocoa
½ teaspoon of fine salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 dessertspoon finely ground white pepper
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
½ teaspoon of mixed spice
1 cup unsalted vegan margarine or butter
1½ cups coconut sugar
½ cup Cointreau (can be replaced with Brandy or rum)
6 tablespoons flaxseeds
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (other molasses may be too sweet)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 cup of Cointreau to feed the cake after it is baked. (Brandy or Rum should be used if you replaced Cointreau)
Lightly oil and double-line a large cake tin; I use a large, foil baking dish (30 cm x 25 cm). Line it with foil, making tall sides, then double line with baking paper, again leaving tall sides to keep it moist during its slow baking time. Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F).
Make flax eggs:
Grind six tablespoons of flaxseeds, add 1 ½ cups of warm water, and stir well. Set aside. Please do not use it until it has gelled.
Make the cake:
Sieve the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, soda, spices, and pepper into a large bowl, then set aside.
Cream the vegan margarine and sugar in a separate bowl until fluffy. Add the molasses, then gradually add the Cointreau. Blend well on high speed, then slowly add the glutinous flax eggs. Fold in the flour and spices, but do not beat or treat this with passion. Stir in the soaked dried fruit, candied peel, and the zests of lemon and orange. The batter will be unusually wet for a fruit cake batter. Carefully ladle the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon to ensure an even surface. Leave the cake to stand for 5 minutes before placing it on the lower shelf of your oven. After three hours, test it with a wooden skewer. Test with a wooden skew, if it doesn't come out clean, continue baking for another 10-15 minutes kewer or straw comes out clean. When cooked, leave your cake in the oven with the door open until it cools to a warm temperature. Using the wooden skewer again, poke little holes over the surface and spoon the Cointreau, brandy or rum over the surface. Don't remove the baking paper and foil until you are ready to devour this most delightful of all fruit cakes. Store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to six months, or freeze it for up to a year (defrosting can take up to 24 hours, depending on your air temperature). Just before your fruit cake is needed, brush a cup of hot marmalade jam over the surface, then add a layer of chocolate fondant and dried, edible flowers.
Note: This cake will get too wet if it is "fed" more than once.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Ingredients:
½ cup lentil flour
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon of chia seeds or flaxseeds
3 tablespoons of warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180°C—line two baking trays with baking paper. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until well combined.
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Drop tablespoons of the mixture 3cm apart onto trays and flatten with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Allow to cool on trays.
PERSIAN LOVE BISCUITS. (Gluten-free)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of Canola oil or melted vegan butter
2/3 cup of powdered raw sugar
¼ cup of unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons of rose water
2 ¼ cups of rice flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of very fine lemon zest
1 teaspoon of powdered cardamom
Garnish:
Poppy seeds or crushed pistachios.
Whisk together oil/vegan butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the applesauce and mix well. Stir in rose water. Mix the rice flour, baking powder, and cardamom powder well into a thick dough.* (if too dry, add 1 tsp plant-based milk.)*. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an oven tray with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into small balls, flatten them slightly with a fork, and place them on the tray (leaving two finger spaces between them). Sprinkle with poppy seeds or pistachios.
Bake for 20–22 minutes until firm and lightly golden at the bottom.
These biscuits are fragile when warm, so let them cool completely on the tray before handling them.
Notes: You can use white sugar, but ensure it is vegan, as some sugars are processed with bone char.
Keep in an airtight container for about a week.
TAHINI CAKE- Tahini has been a staple ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine since as early as 3000 BCE. In Cypriot and Greek traditions, tahini cakes hold a special place, particularly during Lent, the forty-day Christian period of fasting, prayer, and spiritual reflection that precedes Easter. Observers often abstain from meat (referred to as "blood foods"), especially on Wednesdays, Fridays, and the second Saturday of Lent.
It’s noteworthy that while this period of self-discipline lasts forty days for many Christians, others embrace a lifelong commitment to abstaining from animal flesh entirely—a practice that extends beyond seasonal observance into daily life.
The Dry Ingredients:
2 ½ cups plain flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 dessertspoon of very finely grated orange zest
1 cup peeled and cored diced apple
The Wet Ingredients:
1 cup tahini
1 cup of strained orange juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon of Baking powder
1 cup of raw sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Toppings:
Powdered raw sugar
Chocolate or orange icing
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Oil and line a 23cm (9”) round cake tin and line it with baking paper.
Place the hazelnuts, dates, and chocolate chips (if using the latter in a
bowl.
Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cardamom, and orange zest in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Then, toss ½ cup of the flour combination with the hazelnuts, dates, and chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a separate, large bowl, stir the baking soda and powder into the orange juice. It will foam and bubble. Whisk the tahini, sugar, and vanilla until creamy, then add the orange juice mixture. Whisk for about three minutes.
Then, slowly add the flour mixture. Add the hazelnuts, dates and chocolate chips. Don’t overmix. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.
Bake on the centre rack of the oven for 45 minutes, after which you should test with a fine wooden skewer or long toothpick inserted in the middle. If it comes out clean, remove it. Leaving your cake in the baking tin, allow it to cool on a rack. When cool, top with your choice of chocolate or orange icing or powdered raw sugar.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
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