Christmas Baking

Hello!

It has been a while hasn't it?! Sorry about that, I've been super busy with job hunting, interning, returning to Office and frantically preparing for Christmas! 

My first post back and I'd like to share with you my Christmas Cake recipe. It's a classic fruit cake, thanks to the wonderful Delia, covered with marzipan and chocolate (why have icing when you can cover it in delicious Galaxy?!)

So here it is!

You will need...

450g currants

175g sultanas

175g raisins

50g glace cherries (rinsed, dried and finely chopped)

50g mixed candied peel (finely chopped)

3 tablespoons brandy (plus extra for feeding)

225g plain flour

1/2 level tsp salt

1/4 level tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 level tsp ground mixed spice

225g unsalted butter

225g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs

50g almonds (chopped, the skins can be left on)

1 level dessertspoon black treacle

grated zest 1 lemon

grated zest 1 orange

You will also need an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake tin or a 7 inch (18 cm) square tin, greased and lined with silicone paper (baking parchment). Tie a band of brown paper round the outside of the tin for extra protection.

METHOD:

You need to begin this cake the night before you want to bake it. All you do is weigh out the dried fruit and mixed peel, place it in a mixing bowl and mix in the brandy as evenly and thoroughly as possible. Cover the bowl with a clean tea cloth and leave the fruit aside to absorb the brandy for 12 hours.

*****

Next day pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). Then measure out all the rest of the ingredients, ticking them off to make quite sure they're all there. The treacle will be easier to measure if you remove the lid and place the tin in a small pan of barely simmering water. Now begin the cake by sifting the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl, lifting the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing.

Next, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy. 

Now beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the creamed mixture a tablespoonful at a time; keep the whisk running until all the egg is incorporated. If you add the eggs slowly by degrees like this the mixture won't curdle. If it does, don't worry, any cake full of such beautiful things can't fail to taste good!

When all the egg has been added, fold in the flour and spices, using gentle, folding movements and not beating at all (this is to keep all that precious air in). Now fold in the fruit, peel, chopped nuts and treacle and finally the grated lemon and orange zests. Next, using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon

Finally cover the top of the cake with a double square of silicone paper with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking).

Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4½-4¾ hours. Sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but in any case don't look till at least 4 hours have passed. Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it – make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it.

You can even make it now for next year...just keep feeding it and it'll keep until next Christmas!

*****

For the marzipan and chocolate...

Roll out your marzipan on a flat surface using icing sugar so it doesn't stick. Wrap marzipan around your cake (I have divided mine into three for small christmas presents!), sticking it on with some apricot jam.

Next break up your chocolate ( I used 2 big packs of Galaxy). Melt in a bowl sat in a saucepan with about 2cm boiling water in. Then pour over cake and leave to set, then turn over a do the other side. Then your cake is done! 

Happy baking everybody! x