Recipe: Christmas Cake

Hookery Cookery Home > Christmas Recipes > Christmas Cake Makes 1 x 9 inch Round Cake

Description/Notes:

A super Christmas fruit cake, enriched with brandy, that is best made in early November

Ingredients:

1lb. 2oz. (500g) currants

3 tablespoons of brandy

8 oz. (225g) sultanas

8 oz. (225g) raisins, stoned

6 oz. (175g) glace cherries

4 oz. (125g) candied peel, chopped

1 lemon

10oz. (275g) plain flour

10 oz. (275g) butter

half a level teaspoon of mixed spice

pinch of salt

half a level teaspoon of powdered cinnamon

10 oz. (275g) soft brown sugar

6 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

almond paste

royal icing

Cooking Instructions:

1. Wash the dried fruit in a sieve, under the cold tap, two days before making the cake
2. Drain and turn on to clean tea towel, pat dry then spread on kitchen paper to dry
3. On baking day, grease a 9 inch round cake tin, line with double greaseproof paper and re-grease
4. Tie a band of brown paper round the outside of the tin, to come 3 inches above the top
5. Put the prepared fruit, peel and cherries in a bowl and mix well
6. Grate the lemon rind
7. Sift together the flour, spices and salt then add, together with the grated lemon rind, to the bowl of mixed fruit
8. Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale, soft and fluffy
9. Break the eggs into a basin and whisk lightly with a fork
10. Add the whisked egg, 2 tablespoons at a time, to the creamed butter mixture, beating until well mixed each time before adding more egg
11. With a tablespoon, fold in the flour and fruit mixture; add a little milk if necessary to make the mixture soft enough to drop from the spoon when it’s held above the bowl and shaken
12. Turn the mixture into the prepared baking tin, spread it evenly around the tin and make a dip in the center
13. Bake at the bottom of the oven at 300F, Gas Mark 2, 160C for about four and a half hours until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch
14. To prevent the cake over-browning, cover with two or three pieces of brown paper after the first two and a half hour’s baking
15. Test with a fine skewer, insert the skewer in the cake and when it is drawn out it should look quite clean
16. Allow the cake to cool in the tin
17. Before storing the cake, prick with a fine skewer and slowly pour the brandy over it
18. When storing the cake, wrap it in several layers of greaseproof paper, then wrap in foil or store in an airtight tin
19. Cakes made several weeks before Christmas will become darker in colour and richer in flavour
20. Decorate the cake with almond paste and royal icing (see Hookery Cookery Christmas Recipes