I’ve tried a few cristmas cake recipes of the years but I always come back to this one. It just seems to work every time without fail. It’s a very traditional recipe and thats just how I like my christmas cake and because it’s a classic it can be used for any celebration be it a wedding, christening or birthday cake for a fruit cake lover.
I baked mine in a 8″ Square tin but this recipe will also make a 9″ round if you prefer.
Ingredients:
12oz (350g) currants
8oz (225g) sultanas
8oz (225g) raisins
6oz (175g) glace cherries cut into quarters
6oz (175g) dried apricots snipped into small pieces
3oz (75g) mixed peel
4 table spoons of brandy for soaking the fruit and more to feed the cake
10oz (275g) plain flour
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
14oz (400g) butter
14oz (400g) dark muscovado sugar
5 eggs
1 tbsp black treacle
2 1/2 oz (65g) chopped almonds
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
The night before you want to bake the cake out all the dried suit in a bowl and pour on the brandy. Leave to soak overnight in a cool place. The next day, lightly grease your tin and line your tin with baking parchment making sure the lining goes above the tin by about an inch. Pre heat the oven to gas mark 1/275F/140c. put the flour, spices,sugar, butter, eggs, almonds, treacle & zest into a large bowl and mix to combine with a wooden spoon or electric whisk. Fold in the soaked fruits. Spoon into your tin and bake in the middle of the oven for approx 4-4 1/2 hours until firm to the touch. Allow the cake to cool in the tin. When almost cold remove from the tin and peel off the lining paper. With a cocktail stick make a few tiny holes all over the top of the cake and feed in a little brandy. Wrap the cake in some more parchment and then wrap in foil and keep somewhere cool. Feed is every two weeks with a little more brandy and this cake will keep for up to 3 months.
You can soak the fruit in tea or orange juice if you ant to make an alcohol free version but it will only keep for a week or two once iced.
So here we are… we have the cooked cake and are feeding it and looking after it well. Come back in December where I will show you how to decorate your cake using sugar paste fondant icing and add some festive touches!
Make Bake & Sew 