Tag: dried fruit

The late cake recipe

Christmas Countdown, Cookery, Cookery Lessons, Food, Food additives, food blog writer,, Food Consultant, Homemade, recipes

Christmas cake recipe

Day 7 of my Christmas Countdown is the cake, especially for all you budding cooks, that haven’t we got round to making your Christmas cake yet. This recipe is a little different from the traditional cake recipe, but if you make it this weekend, you will find the recipes for the Marzipan (Day 8) & Fondant icing (Day 9) for covering the cake on the Christmas Countdown, this weekend.

Of course I can hear you cry, “I haven’t got the time for cake making”, Well let me suggest to you. Once you have felt the satisfaction of making your own cake, I very much doubt you will resort to a shop bought one again. Just think of all your friends & family, congratulating you, on your culinary skills. Apart from the feel good factor, you can be sure you are feeding your family an additive & preservative free cake, containing real butter, free range eggs & no nasty palm oils.

Well here we go:

Jan’s late Christmas Cake recipe.

Makes 1. 20cm cake, or 3. 8 cm cakes.  Time taken 45mins + cooking

Equipment: 1. Deep 20cm cake tin, side & based lined & lightly oiled.

Allergens: Dairy, Egg, Nuts

INGREDIENTS

120g Dried Cranberries

120g Dried Cherries

120g Chopped blanced Almonds

120g Dried Apricots chopped

120g Dried Dates

120g Sultanas

250g Spelt Flour

5 level tspns Baking powder

1/2 level tspn Salt

175g Unsalted Butter, not spreadable type.

175g Dark Brown Sugar

Finely grated rind of 1 orange

3 Large Free range eggs

1 tspn Almond essence

3 tbspns Brandy

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 325f, 170c, Gas 3.

Place the dried fruits, orange rind & nuts in a bowl & set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder & salt together & set aside.

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter & sugar together until very soft & light.

Lightly beat together the eggs & essence & beat into the creamed butter & sugar a little at a time. With the last additions of the egg mix add a couple of tablespoons of the flour.

Fold the remaining flour, alternatley with the brandy & then fold in the fruit & nut mix.

Turn the mix into the prepared tin, lightly level the top & slightly hollow out the centre.

Place in the preheated oven & bake for 1 hour, lower the heat to 300f 150c Gas 2 & bake for a futher 1 1/2 – 2hours. 

Test cake by pushing a warm skewer into the centre,  it should come out clean with no traces of uncooked mixture.

Allow cake to cool in tin. When cold, wrap in foil & store in an air tight tin for a few days, until ready to almond paste.

  • fruit cake, dried fruit, brandy, eggs, butter
    All for me
  • fruit cake, dried fruit, brandy, eggs, butter
    Fancy a slice
  • fruit cake, dried fruit, brandy, eggs, butter
    Just out of the oven

Its as easy as that. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments box below & I will answer them tomorrow.

Enjoy your evening.