- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Serving: 4 - 8
Nutrition facts (per portion)
- Calories: 678
- Carbohydrate Content: 88g
- Fat Content: 29g
- Fiber Content: 3g
- Protein Content: 9g
- Saturated Fat Content: 12g
- Sodium Content: 0.6g
- Sugar Content: 79g
Make & mature Christmas cake
Ingredients
- dried-fruit - 1kg mixed dried fruit (use a mix of raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, cranberries, prunes or figs)
- orange - zest and juice 1 orange
- lemon - zest and juice 1 lemon
- brandy - 150ml brandy, Sherry, whisky or rum, plus extra for feeding
- butter - 250g pack butter, softened
- brown-sugar - 200g light soft brown sugar
- plain-flour - 175g plain flour
- ground-almond - 100g ground almond
- baking-powder - 1/2 tsp baking powder
- mixed-spice - 2 tsp mixed spice
- ground-cinnamon - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ground-cloves - 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- flaked-almond - 100g flaked almond
- large-egg - 4 large eggs
- vanilla-extract - 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a largepanset over a medium heat.
- Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a largebowland leave to cool for 30 mins.
- Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer ofbaking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside - tie with string to secure.
- Add 175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 100g flaked almonds, 4 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
- Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with aspatulaand bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
- Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
- Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.
Christmas recipe for 4 – 8 people, takes only 10 mins; recipe has dried fruit, orange, lemon, brandy, butter, brown sugar, plain flour, ground almond, baking powder, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, flaked almond, large egg and vanilla extract.
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