- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Serving: 4 - 8
Nutrition facts (per portion)
- Calories: 252
- Fat Content: 8g
- Saturated Fat Content: 3g
- Carbohydrate Content: 41g
- Sugar Content: 13g
- Fiber Content: 1g
- Protein Content: 5g
- Sodium Content: 0.43g
Cake of kings
Ingredients
- candied-peel - 85g citrus candied peel, chopped
- raisin - 100g raisin
- pine-nut - 50g pine nut
- glace-cherry - 50g glace cherry
- sherry - 5 tbsp sherry or brandy
- plain-flour - 500g plain flour
- yeast - 3 tsp easy-blend yeast
- salt - 1 tsp salt
- milk - 150ml milk
- butter - 100g softened butter
- caster-sugar - 100g caster sugar
- lemon - 2 lemons, grated zest
- orange - 1 orange, grated zest
- egg - 4 eggs, beaten
- bean - 1 trinket or dried bean (in greaseproof paper)
- fruit - 195g candied fruits
- sugar - 6 sugar lumps
- egg-yolk - 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp water
- apricot-jam - apricot jam, to glaze
Instructions
- Soak citrus peel, raisins, pine nuts and cherries in the sherry or brandy overnight until plump. Measure 140g/5oz of the fl our in a large mixing bowl and mix with the yeast. Tip the remaining flour and salt into a separate bowl and set aside. Heat the milk until just warm, make a well in the centre of the flour mix, and gradually add the milk to form a batter, beating until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and leave for 20 mins, until frothy.
- In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and zests until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Don't worry if it curdles, this won't affect the final cake. Stir the mix into the batter, along with the remaining flour, to make a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 mins, until smooth and elastic. Knead in the fruit mix, a bit at a time, kneading after each addition until evenly distributed. This bit is messy, but dust the dough and your hands with flour as you work.
- Pop the dough into a clean bowl and cover. Leave for 2 hrs, until doubled in size. Butter a large baking sheet. Knead the dough again briefly, then shape into a sausage, about 50cm long. Curl onto the baking sheet to make a ring, pinching the ends to join. Tuck the trinket under the cake, cover and leave for 1 hr, until doubled in size. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
- Slice the candied fruits and crush the sugar lumps into small pieces (put them in a cup and use the end of a rolling pin). Brush the top of the ring with egg and decorate with candied fruits and sugar. Bake for 45 mins, then transfer to a wire rack and brush the top with jam. Leave to cool before cutting.
Christmas brunch recipe for 4 – 8 people, takes only 45 mins; recipe has candied peel, raisin, pine nut, glacé cherry, sherry, plain flour, yeast, salt, milk, butter, caster sugar, lemon, orange, egg, bean, fruit, sugar, egg yolk and apricot jam.
