My Best-ever Christmas Cake
Introduction
Is it too late to get the mixing bowls out and to make a Christmas cake? Mmm. Maybe, but if you get desperate, this is a good one (you could always put it away for next year!). If making the cake just before Christmas, start feeding it brandy as soon as it is cool (one for the cake, one for the cook!)
Serves: Makes 1 large and deep fruit cake
Ingredients
200g (7 oz) currants
200g (7 oz) sultanas
100g (3½ oz) raisins or craisins
100g (3½ oz) pitted prunes, chopped
100g (3½ oz) red glace cherries, chopped
100g (3½ oz) crystallised ginger, sliced
100g (3½ oz) candied peel
50ml (about 3 Tbsp) brandy, plus extra for feeding if liked
200g (7 oz) standard flour
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
250g (8½ oz) butter, softened
200g (7 oz) brown sugar
4 medium (size 6) free-range eggs, at room temperature
70g (2½ oz) chopped almonds
50g (2 oz) Brazil nuts, sliced
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons and 1 orange
½ cup milk, warmed
100g (3½ oz) blanched or unblanched almonds for the top, optional
Method
1 Soak fruit, ginger and peel in brandy overnight.
2 Line the sides and bottom of a deep cake tin (21-22cm / 8-8½” diameter) with a double thickness of baking (parchment) paper, then wrap a double thickness of thick plain brown paper around the outside of the tin and tie securely with string.
3 Preheat the oven to 140°C / 28°F(regular bake; do not use fan bake). Prepare a shelf below the centre of the oven so that the top of the cake is near the centre when it is in the oven.
4 Sift flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl.
5 Beat butter in a bowl with a cake mixer until loose, then add sugar and beat until light and pale in colour. Beat eggs together in a small bowl and gradually beat into butter and sugar, adding one to two tablespoons of the dry ingredients every so often to prevent the mixture from separating. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients with a large spoon or scraper. Fold in fruit and all the juices, nuts, lemon, and orange zest. Add warmed milk to bring to a plopping consistency.
6 Spoon into the prepared tin. Level the top with a knife. Arrange almonds on top in a pattern. Bake for 3½-4 hours, until the cake is a nice deep golden brown under the nuts, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour in the tin, then remove from tin, keeping paper on, and cool on a wire rack. The cake can be returned to the tin for storage. Keep it tightly wrapped in a cool pantry. If liked, every few weeks feed it a little brandy. Make several holes in the cake with a skewer and dribble over a little brandy, then rewrap it.
Recipe Notes
Wrapping the tin in thick brown paper protects the cake and helps prevent it from drying out on the sides. If you like, you can feed the cake with a little brandy from time to time—it helps preserve the cake and adds flavour, too.
The butter needs to be squishy-soft and beaten to make it smooth and loose before the sugar is added. Using eggs at room temperature will make them less likely to curdle. The milk should be warmed to prevent the batter from separating.
