Christmas Cake 2024
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.
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