Christmas Cake Recipe
Christmas cake is an English tradition that began as plum porridge. People ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into Christmas pudding.
Ingredients
To make a round 10-inch diameter cake:
Method
The fruit
The cake mixture
Cooking
To make a round 10-inch diameter cake:
- 600 g currants
- 400 g sultanas
- 400 g glacé cherries, quartered
- 200 g raisins
- 100 g chopped candied peel
- 200 ml sherry
- 100 ml brandy
- 50 ml kirsch (or rum)
- 4 medium eggs
- 300 g lightly salted soft margarine
- 300 g dark brown sugar
- 100 g self-raising flour
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g finely-chopped almonds
- 2 teaspoons of ground mixed spice
- 2 tablespoons of black treacle
Method
The fruit
- Place all the fruit in a large bowl and pour the spirits over the mixture.
- Cover the bowl in metal foil and leave in a cool place.
- Mix and stir the fruit every day for at least three days.
The cake mixture
- Beat together the sugar and margarine with the eggs.
- Add the almonds and black treacle and mix further.
- Sieve the flours and the mixed spice into the mixture, beating until a smooth mixture results.
- Combine with the pre-prepared fruit (above) and place in a baking tin lined with baking parchment.
Cooking
- Bake at a low temperature (140C, 275F, Gas mark 1) for at least four hours.
- Once a knife comes out clean, remove from the oven and allow to cool fully.
- Stored in an airtight box the cake should keep for at least four months.