Christmas Cake 2024

Christmas Cake 2024

Photo © Anne-Marie Minhall


December has arrived.

The Christmas Cake is in the oven & home is currently filled with the scent of Christmas spices.

This magnificent festive behemoth began life in the 16th Century as a Plum Porridge apparently. Like so much of our food heritage, history informs us that cultural & social tastes change. The arrival of different fruits, spices, those with money being able to add marzipan to their cakes .. oh, & once banned by Oliver Cromwell.

There are three days of preparation for the dried fruit beginning with the following going into a Tupperware box ..

175g Raisins

500g Currants

350g Sultanas

150g Dates

100g Cranberries 

100g Apricots

Then add the ..

Zest of 1 Orange & 1 Lemon - Use unwaxed fruit

150ml Brandy

Bring everything together before covering with a lid & leave for 3 days

Stir daily

Now the day has arrived to bake the cake.

Photos © Anne-Marie Minhall

You'll need a deep & round 23cm tin

Butter & double line it with greaseproof paper (make a triangle with your paper before a quick scrunching)

Oven 140C/120 Fan/Gas 1

To a bowl ..

250g Butter softened (really well softened)

250g Light Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1 tbsp Black Treacle

75g Toasted Hazelnuts, chopped

75g Self-Raising Flour

175g Plain Flour

1tsp Mixed Spice

1/2tsp Cinnamon

1/2tsp Ground Ginger

A pinch of salt


A large bowl will be needed

In goes the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle & nuts

Beat everything together really well 

Add the flours & spices & mix

Time for the soaked plump fruit to get involved, add & stir thoroughly

Spoon into the greased & lined baking tin making sure it's all level before placing into the oven for 4 hours, possibly 4 & a half

Check the cake after 2 hours & cover with foil if it's reached the colour you want

After 4 hours the cake should feel firm &, if you place a skewer into the centre, it must come out clean. If it doesn't, give the cake another 30 minutes in the oven

Leave in the tin to cool &, once completely cold, wrap in more baking parchment & foil before storing in Tupperware

The next day pierce the cake & then feed it with some more drops of Brandy over the next few days & weeks


I'm not one for the marzipan or the icing - individual choice.

On a dreary & dark winter's afternoon or evening, you'll welcome a slice of this cake.

Comforting, warming.

Christmassy.


AMM

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