Christmas cake - recipe
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Prepare
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Serves
12 -
Cook
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Skill
Medium
Ingredients
For the cake
- 175 g Butter (unsalted) softened
- 1 tbsp Black treacle
- 100 g Unrefined dark muscovado sugar
- 50 g Unrefined molasses sugar
- 4 Egg(s) (free range) beaten
- 200 g Plain white flour sifted
- 2 tsp Mixed spice
- 1 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 175 g Sultanas
- 175 g Raisins
- 25 g Hazelnuts roasted, chopped
- 25 g Walnuts roasted, halves
- 75 g Mixed peel
- 100 g Glace cherries
- 1 Lemon zest
- 1 Lemon juice
- 150 ml Brandy for soaking the fruit
For the feeding
- 150 ml Brandy to feed the cake
For the decoration
- 200 g Marzipan
- 25 g Sugar paste icing red
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1
Soak the fruits in the brandy at least 24 hours before baking your cake so that they can absorb the flavours.
For this step you'll need:
- 150ml Brandy to feed the cake
- 175g Sultanas
- 175g Raisins
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2
Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan, gas mark 2). Butter a 20cm round tin and line with greaseproof paper.
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3
In a large bowl, cream the butter, treacle and dark sugars together until pale and fluffy. Slowly add the beaten eggs, a little at a time. Sieve the flour and spices into the mixture then carefully fold in the soaked fruit, the nuts, mixed peel, cherries, lemon zest and juice.
For this step you'll need:
- 175g Butter (unsalted) softened
- 1 tbsp Black treacle
- 100g Unrefined dark muscovado sugar
- 50g Unrefined molasses sugar
- 4 Egg(s) (free range) beaten
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4
Sieve the flour and spices into the mixture then carefully fold in the soaked fruit, the nuts, mixed peel, cherries, lemon zest and juice.
For this step you'll need:
- 200g Plain white flour sifted
- 2tsp Mixed spice
- 1tsp Cinnamon ground
- 175g Sultanas
- 175g Raisins
- 25g Hazelnuts roasted, chopped
- 25g Walnuts roasted, halves
- 75g Mixed peel
- 100g Glace cherries
- 1 Lemon zest
- 1 Lemon juice
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5
When combined, spoon into the prepared tin. Cover the top with a disc of greaseproof paper and bake for 3 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly then turn onto a cooling rack.
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6
Using a skewer, pierce the top of the cake several times and pour over 2 tbsp of brandy. When completly cooled add a little more brandy. Wrap in a sheet of greaseproof paper and then a sheet of foil. Store in a cool dry place ready to be decorated.
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7
To decorate, roll out the marzipan and cut into a 20cm disc (using the tin as a guide) and place on top of the cake.
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8
Lightly brush the surface with water. Roll the white sugar paste icing into a 20cm disc and smooth on top of the marzipan.
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9
Decorate by cutting holly leaves out of the green icing and make berries using balls of red icing. Secure to the cake with dabs of water.