Christmas cakes are best made eight weeks prior to Christmas, to allow time for maturing.
Ingredients:
1 lb currants (450g)
6 oz sultanas (175g)
6 oz raisins (175g)
2 oz glace cherries (50g), rinsed and finely chopped
2 oz mixed whole candied peel (50g), finely chopped
3 tablespoons brandy
8 oz Plain Flour (225g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mixed spice
8 oz unsalted butter (225g)
8 oz soft brown sugar (225g)
4 large eggs
2 oz almonds (50g), chopped
1 dessertspoon black treacle
grated rind of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 orange
8 inch round cake tin
or/
7 inch square cake tin
Making the cake:
The night before, make the 'Fruit & Peel Mix':
Preparation
Making the cake:
The night before, make the 'Fruit & Peel Mix':
- Place all dried fruit / peel into a bowl, add the brandy. Cover this with a cloth, and leave overnight to soak up all the flavours.
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 1, 275˚F (140˚C)
- Grease and line the cake tin
- 'Dry Mix': In one large bowl, sift the dry ingredients- flour, salt and spices
- 'Creamed Mix': In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy - This is one of the most important parts of the recipe, so don't rush it! Make sure it's really airy, fluffy and light.
- Beat the eggs together, and then slowly add them to the 'creamed mix', mixing all the time as you go. This is best done slowly, adding only a tablespoon or so at a time.
- When you've added all the egg, start to fold in the 'dry mix'
- Then, using a wooden spoon, stir in the 'fruit & peel mix', along with the treacle, nuts, and then the grated lemon and orange rinds.
- Gently spoon the mixture into the cake tin, spread it out evenly
- Wrap the tin: Tie a band of brown paper around the outside of the tin. Cover the top of the cake with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Add a hole to the middle of the paper about the size of a 50p
- Bake the cake: Lower shelf of the oven, for 4 1/2 hours
- When cooked, turn out to cool on a cooling rack.
- When cooled, wrap in double layer greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin. Place this tin somewhere safe, cool, dry and dark
- Feed over the next couple of weeks with brandy: Turn back the lining paper, make some holes in the top with a skewer, and pour over a few teaspoons of brandy.
GP, have just made my cake, John had to assist for the following reasons:
ReplyDeletealmonds needed chopping, he bashed them with a rolling pin. walnuts (additional), got the same treatment. then the origami of lining the tin came next, lots of cuts, folds and hospital corners. then beating and mixing, and making tea. dont forget to add the treacle like we did! then more folding and wrapping and string tying, all by John. what did i do? licked the bowl! (yum), all done, in the oven. thank you xx