Christmas Cake 2015

I bake Christmas cake using the same recipe every time that my family loves. Ironically everyone never gets to eat it on Christmas Day.  The day is always plenty of beautiful food and sweets.  However, we love Christmas cake, and we enjoy it throughout the new year. I bake the cake using the same recipe, it is a very rich dark fruit cake which keeps very well, it can last over a year and still moist and delicious.

A bowl of mixed dried, glace fruit,
nuts with rum, brandy, sherry
and soaked overnight

For this year, I will put away my family Christmas cake recipe which I used for the past years,  and I will be using the new recipe which I created by pinching from various recipes.  I believe it is going to work well.  It is a very rich dark fruit cake, and the preparation is much simpler.  I simply get commercial mixed dried fruit which comes in a kg packet.  To that, I will add a lot more dried and glace fruits and nuts as I think they are good to have.  I also won't restrict my self of using only one type of liquor, I will be using three mixed alcohols for the cake, and feed it with liquor-Brandy, toward Christmas.

Ingredients

Ingredients after adding chopped nuts, glace fruits, dates and three liquors.

My Christmas cake for this year is a festive, rich dark fruit cake, and this is the recipe.

Festive Rich Dark Christmas Cake.

Baking Tin (square) size 23 inches
Baking Paper
Line the baking tin with three layers of baking paper.  Prepare this the night before.

The Ingredients
2 Kg mixed dried fruits come in a packet of a one-kilogram.
(They are readily available from the supermarket, choose the brand that you are happy with)
400 g glace cherry
400 g chopped glace orange and pomelo (my homemade)
200 blanch almonds, chopped
250 g pitted dates, chopped
1 cup mixed brandy, rum and sherry
1 cup plain flour
5 cups plain flour extra
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon mixed spices: allspice, cloves and cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
500 g butter
5 cups dark brown sugar
10 large eggs
3 tablespoon treacle, 3 tablespoons warm water
Finely grated zest of one lemon.

Method
Combine all fruit in a large bowl, add the liquor and mix and toss, soak overnight.
The next morning, add in one cup of flour and stir.
Get the tin which is prepared ready, preheat the oven to 120 degrees C (fan-forced).
Place the flour in a small bowl and mix with the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and all spices.
Cream butter with an electric mixer until creamy and gradually beat in brown sugar. Add egg one at the time, followed by lemon zest, and the treacle mixture.
Fold in floured fruit.  Put the mixture on the prepared tin and spread evenly.
Bake for five to six hours, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately brush with 1/2 cup of rum.
Cover with foil to trap the steam, and cover it again with a cloth (tea towel). And leave it for 24 hours or overnight.
Remove cake from the tin, and brush the cake with extra brandy or rum all over. Wrap it with paper, and wrap it again with foil then cover tightly with plastic
Keep it in a clean and dark place until Christmas.  Decorate with mixed glace fruits on top.
(It makes a large squire cake, 23 cm and the leftover can be baked onto a small square tin, 18 cm)

The Baking

Baking paper to line the tin

The tin is lined with 2 layers of baking paper.
weighted inside the tin to make the paper stay

The cake mixture is evenly spread.

Outside the tin is lined /wrapped with brown paper
before baking

The cake is cooked, baked for almost 6 hours.

The baked cake was brushed with extra rum, paper and foil put over it to trap the steam, and covered with a tea towel until it's completely cold.  It took about 24 hours at least.

Take off the paper and brush with extra liquor, brandy or sherry all over-the-top, the sides and the bottom.  Wrap it up with clean baking paper, then with foil and the last one with clear plastic. To keep, I wrap it again with the clean cloth, and now it is sitting in a cupboard until closer to Christmas.

Keeping the cake after baking

Now the cake is kept in the dark place to mature

Three days before Christmas day, I will dress it up with glace fruits, I am sure it will look pretty.   I am looking forward to tasting it, I hope it cuts well, is moist and delicious.

I am sure you had your Christmas cake organised long before, and it will be beautifully decorated.  

I also prepared this beautiful and luscious pear tart which is very sweet and so kind to share during the Christmas season. 

Poached pear in red wine, and the tin with the chocolate flavour pastry crust

Pear Tart is ready to be baked.

Freshly Baked Pie Tart

Pear Tart is Dressed

To Serve Beautiful Pear Tart
Simply Slice into Wedges

Slices of pear tarts to serve with hot coffee.

The ingredients for the Pear Tart:
Pear poached in red wine, shortcrust pastry (I did with chocolate and allspice flavour), almond meal and jam to spread over the crust before adding the pear.  Bake for 35 minutes over medium heat.  When it is cold, brush the tart with melted jam, honey mixed with liquor (brandy or cherry). Decorate the edges with pecan nuts and glace cherries.  It looks so beautiful and festive.
* The Pear Tart is easy to prepare and beautiful, it is a  festive sweet for Christmas*


It has been great preparing the Christmas cake with the new recipe.  I hope it is going to be good if not better.




Until Next Post
Susy