Recipe for Christmas Cake

WestieFan

Will this one do?

You will need:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
lemon juice
nuts
1 gallon brandy

Method:
Sample the brandy to check for quality.
Take a large bowl.
Check the brandy again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again.
Make sure the brandy is still OK.
Cry another tup. Turn off mixer.
Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it
loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the brandy to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?
Check the brandy.
Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees.
Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out the window.
Check the brandy again.
Go to bed.
Who the hell likes fruitcake, anyway?

Topher

I haven't a clue how to link you to this. I posted it on the Christmas thread, about page 34 ish

kiwichick wrote:

Ooohhhh yes please TOPHER, I have mum coming from NZ for a month (!) over xmas and would love to do an hm cake to go with everything else. Proper OS xmas for us this year.

Victorian Christmas Cake

1 lb (400g) Mixed Dried Fruit including peel *
4 oz (100g) stoned raisins
4 oz (100g) glacé cherries, quartered
¼ (1/4) pint (125ml) medium or sweet sherry

6 oz (150g) soft margarine
6 oz (150g) moist brown sugar ( Muscovado or Barbados )
1 Lemon, grated rind
1 orange, grated rind
3 eggs,
1 tbsp black treacle
2 oz (50g) blanched almonds, chopped
4 oz (100g) Plain Flour
2 oz (50g) Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice

1) Put all of the fruit in a bowl, pour the sherry over and leave to soak for at least three days, stirring daily.

2) Prepare a cool oven (275° F, 140°C, Gas 1 *)

3) Put margarine, sugar, lemon & orange rinds, eggs, treacle and almonds in a bowl. Sift flours and spice together and add to the bowl, beat well until blended, Stir in the fruit & sherry.

4) Spread mixture in a prepared tin *3 and bake in oven centre for 3¼ (3 & 1/4) hours.

* I candy my own peel from September (oranges eaten at work, with peel saved, cut & prepped. And 1 lemon peel from other baking) about 2oz (50g) then deduct that amount from the mixed fruit allocation.

*2 On my oven, I’ve found Gas Mark 3 better

*3 Prepared tin means greased and fully lined. Because this cake is cooking for so long, I double line the tin.


Hope this is O.K.
Topher

comping_cat

The recipe from the recipe thread says lard or marg/butter, has anyone ever used lard in their christmas cake before? I dont eat christmas cake myself, and was thinking of making that one for the children this year (it looks really easy) and didnt know if there would be a big difference!!

**purplemoon**

I'm another Delia fan who religiously makes her Christmas cake every year, as does my mother! - in fact I shall be making mine in 2-3 weeks time so I can feed it plenty of brandy before adding the marzipan and icing a week before Christmas

bethom

Just posting on here so I can find my way back to here as I am gonna try Delia's one this year.

I always make mince pies every christmas and have to make them over several weeks as so many friends and family ask for them every year!!

Time to move onto the cake this year methinks!!

newleaf

Another fan of Delia's cake here! :T I made one 3 years ago and forgot about it for two Christmasses because we had so much else to eat - pre LBM, obviously! We finally got round to eating it last Christmas and I can honestly say it was the best ever! I only use marzipan on ours, we don't like icing.
LOL at WestieFan! :rotfl:

whistler-alison

Hi - do you think that delia's recipe would fit into two 1lb loaf tins and if so how the cooking times might need to be adjusted? I'd like to make two smaller cakes for mine and my OH's families.

kiwichick

does feeding it literally mean pouring brandy on it?? How much and where do i pour?? does it have to be brandy??

Topher

Feeding means putting some holes into the cake (downwards from the top with a "Bodkin" (sharp thing)) and regularly dripping Brandy into them, the cake needs re-wrapping each time, but you can use what you originally wrapped it in for that.
T.

skylight

Okay - a daft question from a first time christmas cake maker - where do I get the air-tight containers from to put the cake in???

Does anything do? Tin, plastic, does it matter??