1 lt milk
1 sponge cake
100 ml fruit juice or fruit-flavoured liqueur
150 g diced candied fruit
2 table spoons rum
2 egg whites
150g sugar
200g sugar powdered sugar
60g custard powder
Candied cherries.

1. Boil milk and 150g sugar. Dilute custard powder and add to the boiled milk.Whisk well.

2. Cut cake into large cubes, put into a bowl. Sprinkle with fruit juice and rum.

3. Top with candied fruit. Cover with custard. Let it set and cool.

4. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon over sponge and custard, covering completely.

5. Decorate with remaining candied fruit and cherries. Bake 3 to 5 minutes until meringue is lightly browned, makes 6-8 servings.

1 large fresh pineapple
2 bananas
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 kiwis
1 mango
3 or 4 lettuce leaves
1 orange or tangerine, peeled, segmented
10 maraschino cherries, drained
2 tbsp sugar

ORANGE CREAM
2 fresh orange juice
50g sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
container whipping cream

1. Wash the pineapple before cutting in half. Ripe pineapple should give slightly when pressed with your fingers. Cut pineapple in half. Reserve ½ of the pineapple for another use.

2. Remove hard core from centre of other pineapple half. Use a sharp knife to cut fruit from shell. Cut around outside, then slice length wise and cross wise for easy removal of fruit with a spoon.

3. Lay empty pineapple half, cut-side down, on a cloth to drain.

4. Peel and slice bananas; sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.

5. Peel and slice kiwifruit.

6. Peel mango; remove stone and cut fruit into pieces.

7. Arrange lettuce leaves in drained pineapple half. Add pineapple pieces, sliced bananas, kiwi and mango pieces, orange or tangerine segments and cherries. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar; set aside.

8. For orange cream, in a small saucepan. Combine orange juice and ¼ cup sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk in egg yolks. Stir over low heat until mixture thickens. Cool completely. Whip cream until slightly thickened; fold into orange mixture. Pour over salad at serving time. Makes 4 – 6 servings.

250g butter
450g powdered sugar
4 eggs, separated
220g all –purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
220g raisins
4 tbspoon rum
100g candied fruit, chopped

1. Cream butter until light and smooth.

2. Beat in powdered sugar, a little at a time.

3. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir ½ the beaten egg whites into butter mixture. Then fold in remaining egg whites.

4. Add egg yolks, blending well.

5. Stir flour, baking powder and salt into mixture. Allow mixture to rest.

6. Meanwhile, soak raisins in rum about 30 minutes. Stir soaked raisins with any remaining rum and candied fruit into batter.

7. Preheat oven to 350 F (175C). Grease a 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan; line with waxed paper. Grease the paper. Pour batter into lined pan. Smooth surface with a spatula.

8. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until cake tests are done. Cool on a wire rack. Slice to serve.

Sponge
Kilo ricotta
2 containers fresh cream
120 g candied peel
60g candied cherries
Maraschino or Kirsh
200 g icing sugar
100g roasted chopped almonds

1. Mix thoroughly the ricotta, icing sugar and fresh cream. Work to a smooth texture.

2. Under running water wash the candied peel well and chop the cherries. This procedure enables us to remove the sugar and colouring.

3. Add the fruit, almonds and some liqueur.

4. Mix to a smooth texture and cover.

5. Line a sponge tin with stretch and seal.

6. Slice the sponge, into 2 disks. Put the first one on the bottom of the tin. Line the side with sponges too.

7. Sprinkle some Kirsch or maraschino. Fill with ricotta. Cover with the second disk press and refrigerate. Ideal to rest for 24 hours.

8. Remove from tin, cover with melted apricot jam (cold) and cover with almond paste. Decorate with melted chocolate and glazed cherries.

NOTE the Sicilians don’t use almond paste to cover, they use fondant sugar in a pale green colour.

275g currants
275g sultanas
200g raisins
150g glace cherries
125g candied peel
125g blanched chopped almonds
275g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
Half a teaspoon of mixed spices
Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
275g margarine
275g sugar
6 eggs
Grated rind of one lemon
Rum or brandy

1. Mix all fruit, spices, almonds, lemon and rum into a bowl. Mix well and leave over night.

2. Cream margarine and sugar and eggs. Mix again and add flour. Gradually, add the fruit mixture.

3. Line a cake tin with grease proof paper, 5cm above tin.

4. Below the cake, on another shelve put a baking dish, half with water. This keeps the cake moist. Candied fruit will not get dry and the top will be even.

Almond paste

Ingredients A
120 g ground almonds
120 g icing sugar

Ingredients B
120g caster sugar
1 egg

1. Sieve the ingredients of A thoroughly together and make a bay.

2. Place the ingredients of B in a saucepan and warm.

3. Transfer the contents of saucepan to the bay. Mix into a smooth paste

80g sugar
¼ cup water
750ml milk
100g sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
Caned apricots, if desired

1. In a small heavy saucepan, heat ½ cup sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Boil until light brown.

2. Pour into an 8-cup soufflé dish or 8 custard cups. Immediately turn dish or cups to coat base and sides evenly with caramel; set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, heat milk until surface simmers, stir in 1/3 cup sugar until dissolved; let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla

4. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In a medium bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks until blended. Stir in milk mixture.

5. Pour into caramel-lined dish or cups. Place in a bain marie. Water should be boiling.

6. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in soufflé dish and 20 to 25 minutes in custard cups or until a knife inserted in centre comes out clean.

7. Cool completely; turn out onto dessert plates. Top with fruit.