Due to popular demand, Chef Bjarne Otto has agreed to share his recipe for his special Cortes de Cima Olive Oil Christmas Cake. The cake was a big hit last weekend, at our annual Danish Christmas lunch and wine tasting, which took place for Adega Club members here at the winery tasting room.

Cortes de Cima Olive Oil Christmas Cake

What to use:

700 gr. Pumpkin

300 gr. Brown Sugar

300 gr. Toasted Bread crumbs

200 gr. Carrots

3,5 dl. Cortes de Cima Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Eggs

150 gr. Raisins

150 gr. Walnuts

100 gr. Dates

100 gr. Figs

1 teaspoon yeast

3 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons dried Ginger

½ teaspoon Allspices

A little dash black ground pepper,

2 cl. Rum

2 cl. Brandy

Dried fruit like Cherries, Orange, Lemon etc. in cubes.

250 gr. Icing sugar

What to do:

Peel and cut the Pumpkin in small pieces, boil in water until tender, sieve, and mash the Pumpkins, and let it cool for a while.

Whip the Eggs with the brown Sugar with a hand mixer and add the Cortes de Cima Extra Virgin Olive Oil while whipping all the time, then the Toasted Bread crumbs, Yeast, the mashed Pumpkins and the peeled and grinded Carrots, Rum and Brandy, all the spices and the dried fruits cut in small cubes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. and oil a Charlotte form and pour the mass into the form. Bake in the middle of the oven for one hour. Take the cake out; let it rest in the form for 15 minutes, then take it out of the form, and let it cool off on a tray. When cold, decorate with icing sugar turned with a few drops of Rum or water, decorate with dried fruit and serve.

Enjoy with a glass of Cortes de Cima Syrah or Incógnito and have yourself a very, merry Christmas!

- Chef Bjarne Otto