CHRISTMAS CAKE
This is from the McDougalls cookbook. I think it's Christmas Cake 2 (the richer of the two recipes it lists) The original recipe calls for only 2 oz of cherries, but I think we normally use nearer 4 or 5 oz. You're also supposed to add a couple of tablespoons of alcohol at the cooking stage, but we always feed this cake as we go along. Normally, we give this cake a couple of months to mature before Christmas comes. Regarding the gravy browning....during and after WW2, when the UK had rationing, rich fruit cakes were often "dyed" to a darker brown colour with gravy browning since dried egg, grated potato, grated carrot, etc don't make a proper rich fruit cake. I suspect that this was originally an austerity recipe which has had it's butter, eggs and sugar added to it again but no-one thought to remove the gravy browning. To me the search for the browning that we haven't used since last time is part of making the cake ;o) so I'll leave it in, even though it really isn't necessary any more!
Provided by Chef Hels
Categories Dessert
Time 5h
Yield 1 cake
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Might as well do the boring stuff first. Grease and line an 8-inch (~20cm) square cake tin.
- Half, wash and flour the cherries.
- Sift the flour, salt, browning and spices together into one bowl.
- Cream the sugar and butter together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add an egg and about quarter of the flour mixture and beat until just mixed. Repeat until you have no more eggs or flour left.
- Stir in the fruit and cherries. You may make a wish at this point, if you want - although you can't tell anyone what it is if you want it to come true! It often helps if there's someone big and strong in the house in time to do the final stir as the mixture is very thick and heavy.
- Put the mixture in the prepared cake tin, making sure that a large hollow is left in the centre to make up for the cake rising when it's cooked.
- Cook on gas mark 1 (140°C, 280°F) for 4 1/2 hours (yes, you did read that right, although check that it's cooked by sticking a knife in it from about 4 hrs onwards) If the cake is cooked, the knife will come out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool before taking it out of the tin or trying to remove the stuck bits of greaseproof paper. A large corner of my 21st birthday cake (made to the same recipe) was held together with wooden toothpicks because it'd been taken out of the tin too soon!
- When cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and place in an airtight tin.
- A month to 6 weeks before Christmas, start dosing the cake with alcohol by making holes with a skewer and dribbling teaspoons of alcohol into the holes. Repeat at least once a week and make sure you dose both sides of the cake over the month. It is up to you how much alcohol you wan to feed your cake. Re-wrap the cake after dosing.
- About a week to 10 days before Christmas, marzipan the cake (using apricot jam as the glue) and leave it out (covered by a clean teatowel) for a few days to dry out.
- About 3 or 4 days before Christmas, Ice the cake and leave out until the icing is completely solid.
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ibrahim_hosen_ biplob
[email protected]This recipe is a keeper! I'll definitely be making this cake again and again.
Giooak
[email protected]This cake is so festive and delicious. It's the perfect way to celebrate the holidays.
Aqib Musa
[email protected]I'm not sure what I did wrong, but my cake didn't turn out very well. It was a bit dry and the flavor was a bit bland.
Collin Prins
[email protected]This cake is a great make-ahead dessert. I love that I can make it a few days in advance and it still tastes fresh and delicious.
Muhammad Ishfaq
[email protected]This cake is a bit too sweet for my taste. I think I'll try reducing the amount of sugar next time.
Addis Sterling
[email protected]I've made this cake several times and it's always a success. It's the perfect cake for Christmas morning.
Omotayo Blessing
[email protected]This cake is so easy to make and it's always a crowd-pleaser. I love the way the spices and orange zest complement each other.
Jackson
[email protected]I love this recipe! The cake always turns out perfectly and it's always a hit with my friends and family.
Tyler Lucas
[email protected]This cake is a lot of work, but it's worth it. The finished product is a beautiful and delicious cake that's perfect for any special occasion.
ALIDU SUALEY
[email protected]I'm not a big fan of fruitcake, but this recipe changed my mind. The cake was moist and flavorful, and the fruit was perfectly balanced. I'll definitely be making this again.
Aser Basma
[email protected]This cake was a little too dry for my taste. I think I might have overbaked it. But the flavor was still good.
Hamro Knowledge
[email protected]I followed the recipe exactly and my cake turned out perfectly. It was so moist and flavorful. My family loved it!
Md Golam Sarwer Emon
[email protected]This cake is so moist and flavorful! I love the combination of spices and the orange zest really brightens it up. I'll definitely be making this again.
Kaitlin Bowers
[email protected]I've made this cake twice now and it's been a hit both times. The first time I made it for my family's Christmas party and everyone loved it. The second time I made it for a work potluck and it was gone in minutes! It's definitely a keeper.
MAHAR MOHSIN
[email protected]This Christmas cake is absolutely divine! The flavors are perfectly balanced and the texture is incredibly moist. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make too! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.