Christmas Cake
A delicate blend of dark fruity flavours with a perfected technique passed down by international pastry chefs.
- Recipe serves:20
- Preparation Time Minutes
- Cooking Time3 to 3½ Hours Minutes
Ingredients
- 450g glacé cherries
- 225g candied mixed peel
- 300g sultanas
- 150g dried currants
- 175g dates, pitted and chopped
- 125g blanched almonds, chopped
- 120ml brandy
- 4 tablespoons plain flour
- 250g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 225g Astra
- 450g brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 175ml treacle
- 175ml apple juice
METHOD
- In a medium-sized bowl combine cherries, citrus peel, sultanas, currants, dates and almonds. Stir in brandy. Let it stand for 2 hours or overnight. Then dredge soaked fruit with 4 tablespoons of flour.
- Pre-heat oven to 1400C/gas mark 1. Grease a 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin, line with baking parchment and grease again. Then in a small bowl mix together 250g flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and salt. Set spice mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, cream Astra until light and gradually blend in brown sugar and eggs. Mix together black treacle and apple juice in another bowl. Then, beat the liquid into the butter mixture, and separately with the spice mixture, making 4 dry and 3 liquid additions. Fold in floured fruit. Turn batter into prepared tin.
- Bake in pre-heated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a skewer is inserted into the centre of the cake and it comes out clean. Lastly, remove cake from tin and lift off paper. Cool cake completely, then wrap loosely in greaseproof paper.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Looking for Christmas recipes / seasonal recipes and ideas for party foods? This well-known and well-loved recipe is a staple for any Christmas celebration.
