Like many of the modern day accompaniments to Christmas celebrations, the cake became fashionable during the Victorian age. Up until then, the Christmas Pudding took pride of place with many recipes originating in Medieval times.
Although traditional Christmas cakes and puddings often contain alcohol, such as brandy or rum, the following recipe is non-alcoholic. This homemade cake has the added advantage of being one that can be baked right up to a week before Christmas, allowing time to cover with marzipan and icing, if desired. The cake contains milk and ground almonds to keep it moist, while the butter gives it a rich taste.
If anyone dislikes peel or cherries, just leave them out and add more currants, sultanas and raisins to make up to the required amount. When adding beaten eggs to creamed butter and sugar, small amounts of flour should be added alternately with the egg to keep the mixture firm and thoroughly mixed.
Christmas Fruit Cake
Ingredients
- 325g (12oz) self-raising flour
- 125g (4oz) ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 225g (8oz) butter, softened slightly
- 225g (8oz) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 8 tablespoon milk
- 225g (8oz) currants
- 225g (8oz) sultanas
- 225g (8oz) raisins
- 125g (4oz) glazed cherries
- 125g (4oz) mixed peel
Method
- Heat oven to 150C (300F).
- Grease and line a 9 inch round tin. It is easier to remove the baked cake from a loose-bottomed tin.
- Sieve the flour, spice and ground almonds together into a large mixing bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl with a hand-held electric whisk or in a mixer.
- Beat the eggs lightly with the milk in a jug or bowl.
- A little at a time, stir the flour mixture alternately with the egg mixture into the creamed butter and sugar.
- Finally, add all the dried fruit. Stir it carefully and thoroughly until everything is well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
- Attach a deep strip of tin foil or brown paper around the tin to stand a couple of inches above the top. This will protect the top of the cake from burning while the inside is cooking.
- Bake in the oven for about 4 hours.
- Check the cake after about 3 hours. If necessary cover the top for the remainder of the cooking time.
- To check if the cake is cooked through, gently insert a thin metal skewer into the centre and it should come out clean.
- When the cake is ready, remove the foil or paper and allow the cake to rest in the tin for a short while.
- Carefully run a flat knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the cake. Gently push the loose-bottom of the tin up to remove the cake.
- Place on to a wire rack to cool, removing the bottom of the tin and greaseproof paper, and leave to cool completely.
- When cold, wrap the cake in greaseproof paper and tin foil until required for decorating.
Decorating the Christmas Cake
- Roll out home-made or bought almond paste (marzipan).
- Brush the cake with apricot jam and press the marzipan to the outside and top of the cake.
- Add icing of choice to the cake, covering the marzipan completely.
- Allow to set, then tie a red ribbon around the cake and decorate with holly or similar Christmas decoration.
- If using Royal Icing, this can be pulled into rough peaks with a flat knife, once it is spread on the cake, to give a snowy effect.
Homemade Royal Icing
- Lightly beat 4 egg whites and 2lbs of sieved icing sugar together until stiff, gradually stirring in the final third of icing sugar.
- To make a firmer icing, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the egg whites. To make it softer add 2 teaspoons of glycerine.
- When spreading the icing on the cake with a flat palette knife, dip the knife in hot water occasionally to avoid the icing sticking to it.
Other fruit cake recipes would be equally delicious for a family over the holiday period.
HOL101
Rosemary Gemmell - Professional freelance writer of published short stories and articles in the UK, US and online. Author of historical romance and ...
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