Christmas Cake

Well, having shared my recipe for Christmas Pudding, I think it would be unfair not to share my Christmas Cake recipe too!

I still use the recipe I was given 40-odd years ago at school, although I've tweaked it a bit over the years - in fact I tweak it a bit every time I make it, depending on what I've got in the house and the mood I'm in! 

I highly recommend steeping your dried fruit in alcohol overnight before making your cake.  It really helps to keep the fruit moist despite the long slow cooking.  This year I steeped my fruit for so long that my family swear its more pickled than steeped!!!

8oz (250g) salted butter (PLEASE use butter not margarine as the flavour is far superior)
8oz (250g) dark brown moscovado sugar
12oz (375g) plain (all-purpose) flour
3lb (1.5kg) mixed dried fruit
6oz (200g) glace cherries
6oz (200g) blanched almonds
2oz (50g) ground almonds
Tablespoon black treacle
5 eggs
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Wineglass of sherry, brandy or whiskey* (to taste - or use orange juice)
* Use more or less alcohol to taste.  This year I rather over-added, ending up using about a quarter of a bottle each of sherry and brandy!  I didn't put all the left-over steeping liquid into the cake but saved it for 'feeding' the cake in the weeks leading up to Christmas

This recipe will make a good 8" square cake with enough left over to make another small cake as a gift, or as a 'taster'

1. Heat your oven to 120C
2. Grease & line your cake tin then wrap tin in a thick layer of newspaper, tying tightly around with string.  This will prevent the cake from burning during the long cooking.
3. Wash & halve cherries, dry on kitchen paper and then put in a bowl and mix with ground almonds (this will stop them sinking as the cake cooks)
4. Roughly chop almonds (I prefer to cut them in half and have chunky pieces)
5. Wash & dry mixed fruit.  Put into a bowl with a couple of tablespoons of flour to coat
6. Mix together flour, lemon rind, salt & spices
7. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
8. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour each time to prevent curdling.
9. Beat in the treacle
10. Fold in the flour, followed by the nuts and cherries
11. Stir in the steeped fruit and alcohol
12. Spoon half the mixture into the tin and level off.  Spoon remaining mixture in and level off again, making a slightly hollowed centre to allow the cake to rise without 'doming'
13. Bake on a low shelf for 4 - 4 1/2 hours, giving a quarter turn every hour.  If the cake is browning too quickly put a double piece of baking paper over the top.
14. To test if the cake is done, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake - it should come out clean
15. Immediately the cake comes out of the oven spoon over a couple of tablespoons of your chosen spirit (or leftover steeping liquid if you overdid it!) and then leave the cake to cool for an hour in the tin.  Then turn out and leave to cool completely.
16. Once cool wrap the cake in baking paper and then foil and store in a tightly sealed tin until you are ready to decorate it, 'feeding' every week with a couple more tablespoons of brandy.

Decorating Your Cake
Whether you decorate your cake - or not - is purely a matter of preference.  This year I've not been at all well so I decided to  decorate the cake all over with glace cherries before baking.  I shall brush with apricot jam and just drizzle glace icing over a couple of days before Christmas.

In previous years I've marzipanned my cake then used either Royal Icing and Fondant Icing to decorate.  For preference I prefer the taste of Royal Icing but the ease of use makes Fondant a good alternative.

BUT:  However you decorate your cake, I thoroughly recommend you try eating it with some Wensleydale cheese.  The sweet, salty taste and crumbly texture of the cheese takes the cake to a whole new level!