Recipes for Cakes and Biscuits > Reviews (181)

My house is currently smelling absolutely delicious, as I have been baking a Christmas cake for the past 4.5 hours in the kitchen. It is a recipe that I have used for the past few years, and it really does turn out well. It is taken from Delia, but I have simplified it and omitted some stuff to suit the dietary requirements of my family (removed the almonds for instance, as son allergic).

The book I took it from is Delia Smiths Complete Cookery Course, published in 1989, but as with all recipes, I have adapted over time.

This recipe makes an 8 inch round, and about 4 inch deep rich fruit cake.

Ingredients:

Roll of greaseproof paper.
2lb of mixed dried fruit (I put in any mixed bag, and maybe add some glace cherries) and I soak this in Brandy (half a mug full) for about a week, with a cover over it, and stirring periodically during that time. (alcohol optional, of course).

8oz plain flour;
1/2 teaspoon of salt;
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg;
1/2 - 1 teaspoon of mixed spice (mmm)
8oz butter;
8oz soft brown sugar (or whatever sugar you have)
4 large eggs;
1 dessertspoonful of black treacle.
then you can add some lemon and orange zest if you like, and some almonds. I don't bother myself, as tasty enough without.

Marzipan;
Apricot Jam
Icing sugar, or pack of ready rolled fondant icing.

Method:

Preheat oven to Gas 1, 140 C, or 275 F.

Cream butter and sugar together; Crack the eggs into a jug, and beat them a bit. Add a little at a time to the creamed butter mix, keep beating them together to stop curdling. If it does start to curdle, add some of the flour from the 8oz. When butter, sugar and four eggs are nicely combined, FOLD in the flour, spices, salt. DON'T beat it or you will make it sink when it is cooking.

When all the dry and wet ingredients are nicely combined, stir in all the fruit and the treacle (and zest and almonds if adding).

Put to the side while you sort out the cake tin. You need to get some greaseproof paper, draw round the cake tin, and then cut out two circles half an inch wider that the circumference. Grease one, and put in the bottom of the tin. Then, line the sides of the tin with some greaseproof, too, and grease that as well. Once you have completely lined the tin, you can add the cake mix to it.
Next, make a slight dip in the centre of the cake mix, to stop it rising too much, as you want it to be as flat as possible for your Christmas icing.

Then, with the other circle of paper, cut a hole about an inch wide in the centre, grease the underside, and lay on top of the cake mix. All parcelled up, and ready for that long oven bake. Put on bottom rack of oven.

Do not open the oven door for four hours!

The cake will be ready after 4.5 - 5 hours, and you can test this with a skewer or very sharp knife. Put it through the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

I put mine in at 7.10pm this evening, and it is now 11.15pm and the knife was not clean enough, and had some 'drag' on pulling it out, so I am leaving it for another 1/2 hour. The paper top is preventing the top of the cake from drying out and burning.

Once I have taken it out, I will cool it completely, and wrap in tin foil. If I leave it a while before marzipanning it, I will make small skewer holes, and pour little amounts of brandy in, to keep it moist!! This is optional, of course!!

To marzipan it, I usually use the ready rolled stuff from Tesco, but you can buy a block, coat your table with icing sugar, and the rolling pin, and roll out to the desired size. Then, to make sure it sticks properly, you spread the jam all over the cake, and then carefully place your marzipan over the cake, cutting off the excess.

Leave for a few days to dry slightly.

Paint vodka or gin onto the marzipan, if you want to use the ready rolled fondant icing, as it helps stop the grease from the marzipan coming through the icing.

I probably won't be using ready rolled, so will either make some royal icing, or most likely, just make up some really thick water icing, and add some Christmas ornaments to the top. The cake won't last very long as it is yummy!