Christmas Cake
 
Preparation time
Cooking time
Total time
 
Any guest you host or visit over the festive season that loves a slice of fruit cake will feel that more special if you have made your own. It is not that much work and when the cake goes into the oven the house smells like Christmas. Over the years I have also made the cake as a tray bake and cut varying sizes to give as gifts to friends and neighbours. This is a great make ahead cake it will mature over the weeks leading up to Christmas and can be iced as desired. Please note that the fruit needs to be prepared the day before you plan to bake the cake.
Marissa:
Recipe type: Cake
Cuisine: British
Servings: 12
Ingredients
  • 1kg dried cake mix
  • 200g glace cherries (I used 100g chopped dates and 100g soft prunes chopped as I don’t like glace cherries)
  • 250ml (1 cup) port or dry sherry
  • 150ml apple juice
  • 45ml black treacle
  • 250ml (1 cup) brandy (125ml for the cake, 125ml for feeding the cake when it is cooked)
  • 250g butter
  • 250g soft brown sugar
  • 5 extra large eggs
  • 360g (3 cups) plain flour
  • 7.5ml (11/2) teaspoons baking powder
  • 10ml (2 teaspoons) mixed spice
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
  • 2.5ml (½ teaspoon) ground cloves
  • 100g chopped pecans
  • 100g whole peeled almonds chopped
  • Extra brandy for feeding your cake (if you have the time and you like a boozy cake)
Method
  1. Extra brandy for feeding your cake
  2. Combine the cake fruit and the cherries or dates and prunes which ever you prefer to use in a large pot with the port, apple juice treacle and half the brandy.
  3. Bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often to avoid the mixture burning.
  4. Remove from the heat and cover with a tea towel and leave the fruit to infuse overnight.
  5. The next day preheat your oven to 140°C, 120°C for Fan Ovens and Gas Mark 1.
  6. Line the base and the sides of a 23 cm cake tin with parchment paper.
  7. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
  8. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition, the mixture may look like it has curdled don't worry.
  9. Stir in the dry ingredients, add the nuts and then add the cooled fruit.
  10. Spoon the mixture into the cake tins and bake for 4 hours or until a cake skewer inserted come out clean.
  11. See note if you are baking smaller cakes, bake the cakes for 35 minutes to an hour and when a skewer is inserted it should comes out clean.
  12. Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tins.
  13. While the cake is cooling add the brandy to a pan or microwave it till it is warmed through and pour the brandy over the cake or cakes.
  14. Allow the cake to cool completely and wrap in baking parchment and foil and store in airtight containers until needed.
  15. Feed your cake with a few tablespoons of brandy every week, if desired it is not essential.
  16. Decorate as desired.
Tips
I prefer to divide the mixture and make a few different sized cakes for different occasions.
I lined a small and a medium cake and a loaf tin.
The up side of cooking the different sizes is that the cakes cook within 35 minutes to 1 hour, which is a great time saver.
Recipe by Marissa's Recipes & Ideas at https://www.marissa.co/christmas-cake/