Chef’s Recipe : Panettone Christmas Cake from Steven Bennett

Hold the shop brought cakes because here’s a great quick recipe to make your own last minute Christmas Panettone. This sweet bread loaf comes courtesy of Chef Patron Steven Bennett from a very festive Pig and Whistle at Healing Manor in Lincolnshire

Ingredients

• 75ml Dark Rum
• 75g Raisins
• 75g Sultanas
• 550-620g Strong White Bread Flour
• 175g Butter
• 1tsp Salt
• 65g Caster Sugar
• 1/2tsp Freshly Ground Nutmeg
• 2.5ml (1/2tsp) Vanilla Essence
• 10.5g Fast Action Dried Yeast
• Zest 1 Lemon
• Zest 1 Orange
• 2 Medium Eggs
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 175ml Milk
• 150g Candied Orange and Lemon Peel, chopped

For the Topping

• 30g blanched, chopped Almonds
• 1tbsp Caster Sugar
• 1tbsp Egg Whites
• 1tbsp Icing Sugar

Grease a 17cm round spring release Panettone or cake tin and line the base and sides with a sheet of baking paper that sits 5 inches above the rim.

Place the rum, raisins and sultanas in a bowl and leave for 2 – 3 hours.

Sift the flour into a mixer with a bread hook and add the butter and salt.  Mix on a medium speed for 2 minutes until combined.  Add the sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, yeast, orange and lemon zest, eggs and milk and blend on a fast speed for 2 minutes until a soft dough has formed.  Knead in the bowl for a further 2 minutes.  Remove the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave for 2 – 3 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

Replace the bowl onto the mixer and kneed on a fast speed for 2 minutes, to knock the dough back down. Add the sultanas and raisins and kneed for a further 2 minutes.

Lightly flour a cold surface and kneed with your hands for 2 – 3 minutes to make sure all of the fruit is combined with the dough. Work the dough into a ball and place into the cake tin. Lightly cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for a further 1 hour until the dough has risen just above the tin.

In a bowl combine the almonds, icing sugar, egg whites and caster sugar. Using a pastry brush, gently brush over the top of the risen dough.

Bake in a 200º c oven for 15 minutes before turning down the temperature to 180º c and baking for a further 40 minutes. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and cooling completely.

To serve, wrap in parchment or baking paper for decoration and generously top with icing sugar.

But if you fancy cake out, why not take a trip to Healing Manor. Dine with the Luxury Restaurant Club and enjoy 25% off your afternoon tea and 10% on food and drinks for dinner. See details here. Simply download the Luxury Restaurant Guide app here and follow steps to join the club. You’ll discover over 750 of the finest restaurants around the UK and over 500 exclusive member-only offers.

Healing Manor Hotel, Stallingborough Road, Grimsby North, East Lincolnshire DN41 7DF