Christmas Cake
Ingredients
- A little extra Butter (for the tin)
- 175 g Raisins
- 175 g Sultanas
- 75 g Dried cranberries*
- 50 g Natural glace cherries
- 3 tbsp Brandy
- 225 g Plain flour
- ¼ tsp Ground / freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp Ground mixed spice
- Pinch - ½ tsp Salt (optional - to your taste)
- 225 g Unsalted butter, softened
- 225 g Soft brown sugar
- 4 (large) Eggs
- 75 g Blanched almonds**
- 1 tbsp Black treacle
- 1 (finely grated zest) Orange
- 1 (finely grated zest) Lemon
- Several Teaspoons Brandy (for feeding)
- 450 g Currants
Accompaniment
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Description
This my preferred traditional fruit cake recipe. I have made it a lot and everyone always enjoys it. Soak the fruit the night before. Adapted from Delia Smith.
Method
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1
The night before making the cake, put the currants, raisins, sultanas and cranberries in a large bowl.
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2
Cut the cherries into quarters and add them to the bowl.
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3
Pour over 3 tbsp brandy, stir well then cover with cling film and leave overnight.
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4
Grease a 20 cm (8") round or 17-18 cm (9") square tin with a little butter and line the base and sides with baking paper.
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5
Wrap brown paper around the outside and tie with string.
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6
Cut a double thickness of baking paper the same size as the base of the tin, fold into quarters and cut a 50 p coin-size hole in the centre.
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7
Place the rack on the lowest level and preheat the oven to 140 degrees C.
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8
Sift the flour, nutmeg, mixed spice and salt (if using) into a bowl, lifting the sieve up high.
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9
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes until creamy.
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10
Crack the eggs into a cup or small bowl and beat together with a fork.
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11
Add to the mixing bowl a little at a time, while beating.
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12
Sift in the flour mixture and fold together gently.
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13
Roughly chop the nuts.
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14
Add the nuts, black treacle, soaked fruit, orange zest and lemon zest and fold everything together until well mixed.
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15
Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
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16
Place the circle / square of baking paper on top.
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17
Bake for 3 hours and 45 minutes until firm, and a skewer comes out clean.
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18
Leave the cake in the tin for at least an hour then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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19
When cold, poke holes in the top with a skewer or cocktail stick and spoon over a couple of teaspoons of brandy.
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20
Wrap in baking paper and foil and keep in a tin.
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21
Feed with brandy once a week until covering with marzipan one day and icing the next (ideally feed for 4-8 weeks).
Chef's Tips
*Preferably apple juice infused rather than sweetened with sugar.
*Somes I use a mixture of almonds and macadamia nuts. Pecans also good as an alternative to almonds.
***The original recipe specifies a much longer baking time (4 1/2 hours or more) but when I first started making this cake and following the recipe to the letter, I found it was overcooked so have adjusted it over time and find this is just right with my oven.
For a 15-16 cm (6") cake (round or square - it will fill a 16 cm round tin right to the top, for a tall cake - as shown in the photo), use 3/4 of the ingredients (3 eggs etc.) and bake a square for 3 hours 15 minutes and a round for 3 1/2 hours.
For a 23 cm (9") round cake or 20 cm (8") square cake, use another 1/4 X the ingredients (5 eggs etc.) and bake for 4 hours and 15 minutes.
To make 2 X 15 cm square cakes in a Silverwood multisize tin, use 1.5 X the ingredients (6 eggs etc.) and bake for around 3 hours 15 minutes.
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