COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS BEGINS…
Baking the traditional Christmas Cake using my friend Shilpa’s fabulous tried and tested recipe! Making this cake is a labor of love and involves a three step process of soaking the fruit n nuts in liquor, baking the cake and then maturing the cake! So come join me and watch the process unfold….:-)
Step 1 Soaking the Fruit n Nuts!
Method:
I used chopped apricots, almonds, raisins, cranberries, cashew nuts, walnuts, candied ginger, candied orange peel (optional), candied lemon peel (optional)….about 500gms total! Soaked them in a mix of rum & brandy (you can use your own heady mix) and covered them with plastic wrap. Will bake the cake in 2 weeks!
PS: Try soak the fruit n nuts in rum for least 3-4 days, though you can soak up-to a month before the actual baking.
Alternately soak in Orange and Apple juice a day prior to baking.
Step 2: Baking the Cake….
Ingredients:
200g butter, softened to room temperature
200g dark brown sugar
200g plain flour
4 eggs, beaten
50g ground almonds
100ml Rum
Substitute this with Orange juice for non alcoholic version
Grated ginger 2 tsp
Finely grated zest of Orange
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1½ tsp mixed spice (nutmeg , cloves , cinnamon and very little star anise)
1½ tsp almond extract (optional)
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
Few drops angostura bitters (optional)
500 gm mixed soaked nuts and fruits
Orange Marmalade for brushing over the cake
Method:
Heat oven to 180 deg C or 350 F. Prep a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin or you can use smaller cake tins of multiple size to make several cakes. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins until very creamy and pale in color. Add a spoonful of the flour. Then with the beater running, add the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time. Finally add in the ground almonds.
Follow with the Rum…the mix might start curdling so add the rum in a slow drizzle with the beater running. Then add the peel, nuts, Lemon and Orange zest, spice, grated ginger, almond extract , angostura bitters and vanilla. Beat together to mix, then stir in the baking powder.
Spoon mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 mins, then cover the tin with a foil and bake at a lower temperature of 150 deg C or 300F for a further of 2-2¼ hrs, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Take off on wire rack, cool completely.
Step 3: Maturing the cake….
Now make holes with a skewer and pour rum over the top. This will keep the cake moist, wrap well in cling film and foil to store (atleast a week) until ready to eat. The cake will keep for several months.
Can kids eat this cake?
If you want kids to eat this…omit the last round of Rum…as that remains uncooked!
Was hunting for a good recipe for this cake since so long.
Since u hv posted I m sure its gonna be nice..so wil be trying very soon.
Thnks for the recipe.
The rum is used 3 times.
First to soak the nuts
Then to cook
And lastly to pour over
Is 100ml the total rum used for all 3 steps.
Thank you!
Third time us optional…for maturing, after it is baked.
Hi
Step 1—- what is the quantity of rum to be used for soaking?
Step 2—– here what is the quantity of rum used?
TIA
For soaking dry fruits, use enough rum/brandy to moisten the fruit completely.
For step 2, 100 ml is recommended as noted.