Recipe for Christmas Cake

La-Cara

hmm not sure if I can post the recipe I use on here because it's from a book, so there may be copyright issues. Anyone know for sure if that's allowed or not? If not I can send it via PM I think

Pink.

Firehorse wrote: »

I've been reading this thread with great interest, and it has made me think about making mini christmas cakes with my daughter for her teachers this Christmas. I could bake them in old pineapple tins or something similar.

The question is how long do you think I should cook a batch for and when could we start making them?

Many thanks in advance for all your advice.

Hi Firehorse,

There's a recipe for mini Christmas cakes including timings on the Special Occasions board that might help.

Pink

Pink.

La-Cara wrote: »

hmm not sure if I can post the recipe I use on here because it's from a book, so there may be copyright issues. Anyone know for sure if that's allowed or not? If not I can send it via PM I think

Hi La-Cara,

I'm afraid you can't post the recipe here exactly as it is from the book, but you can list the ingredients and post the method in your own words.

Pink

La-Cara

Thanks Pink-winged! I’ve tweaked the recipe so it’s not exactly the same as the book anyway!

Ingredients:
300g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 dessertspoon mixed spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
100g ground almonds
400g currants
400g raisins
400g sultanas
200g glace cherries (chopped)
100g blanched almonds (chopped)
200g mixed peel
25g angelica
1 lemon
300g butter
250g soft dark brown sugar
8 large eggs
Brandy/sherry
Marzipan
Royal Icing

Line two 8" round cake tins (or one 10") with a double layer of greaseproof paper brushed with melted butter. Make sure the paper sticks well out of the top of the tin, as this helps to stop the cakes burning!
Weigh out the fruit, put in a bowl and pour in a good slosh of brandy/sherry, and leave it to plump up for a few hours at least ( I usually leave it overnight). Sift the dry ingredients (flour, spices, ground almonds) into a bowl. Mix in the fruit and the blanched almonds, and stir until the flour mix is coating all the fruit. In another bowl, cream the sugar, butter and grated lemon rind until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir into the flour and fruit mix. Add the juice of the lemon. The mixture should be moist, and you can add another egg if needed. Spoon the mixture into the cake tins and bake in the middle shelf or lower at 150C (gas mark 2) for 1 1/2 hours. Then turn the oven down to 120 (gas mark 1/2), cover the top with paper to prevent burning, and bake for another 3-3 1/2 hours. The cake should shrink a little at the sides when it is done, but check it with a skewer. Take the cakes out of the oven, and leave them to cool in their tins for a while, before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap in tinfoil (or greaseproof paper and tinfoil) and put it in a sealed box (a roses tin is fine). Check it every few weeks to see if it needs any moisture added, if it does, skewer it then pour brandy/sherry all over.
I usually marzipan and ice them a few days before Christmas, and just use however much the packet says!

Obviously if you don't like something you can substitute it for something else e.g. swap currants for sultanas. And everyone's oven will be different, so try to keep an eye on it while it's in.

Merry Christmas folks! :xmassmile

Skint_Catt

How often should I 'feed' it brandy and how much each time?

Also is it just brandy or should I be adding something else too?

La-Cara

Skint_Catt wrote: »

How often should I 'feed' it brandy and how much each time?

Also is it just brandy or should I be adding something else too?

The book says four tablespoons, but I just pour on a good slosh so it's moist all over. You probably only need to do this once a month, just to stop it drying out. If you don't have brandy, you could use sherry instead, don't know if anyone else uses something different?

Skint_Catt

Oh believe me I have brandy - the first ingredient I bought! Really excited now! Might make two and give one as a gift!

margaretclare

Why are you making two?

La-Cara

Skint_Catt wrote: »

Oh believe me I have brandy - the first ingredient I bought! Really excited now! Might make two and give one as a gift!

Good, let me know how you get on with it. They do make really good gifts because they're quite rich (expecially if you keep sloshing on the brandy!). You do have to be careful though because I remember reading about someone who got done for drink driving after eating some very alcoholic christmas cake! :rotfl:

rchddap1

For the last few years I've gotten in the habit of using cranberry juice instead of brandy. There was a good reason why this started....teenage step daughter swore of alcohol....yes I'm being honest....no my nose isn't growing.

Well, I started with the cranberry and just haven't stopped. I usually make it around September / October. Mind you, this year I'm going to have to have a new hiding place....my toad can get to the usual spot now. Cue image of me walking into the kitchen seeing a 2 year old surrounded by xmas cake crumbs.