Christmas Cake

[society]

If you make Christmas cake, and if you don't mind sharing, could you share your special recipe, please? Thanks. x

[mxyzptlk]

Delia's recipe is as good as any other i've tried

[society]

Thanks Mxyzptlk. I could Google and find thousands of recipes, but, I'm hoping folk would share their family secret recipes. :-)

I do have my own and will post it later.

[flicrat]

8 oz butter or soft margarine
8 oz moist brown sugar
4 eggs
8 oz plain flour
quarter of a teasp bicarb of soda
8 oz sultanas
8 oz currants
8 oz raisins
2 oz cherries
2 oz mixed peel
1 oz chopped almonds optional. I omit as have nut allergy relative.
1 tabs treacle
1 level teasp mixed spice
sprinkling of freshly ground nutmeg
1 tabs - or to taste!- brandy or whisky. Or 1teasp each, vanilla,lemon and almond essence.

Seven and a half to eight inch cake tin. Melt a little lard in a saucepan. With pastry brush grease tin. Line bottom of tin with gr proof paper. Grease again. Make g proof paper sides to tin and grease and finally make another lining to bottom of tin and grease. This cooks slowly, so you need protection for cake mix.

[flicrat]

Continued.
Beat butter and sugar in a bowl.
Put the cherries in another bowl with the flour,spices and bicarb and cut them into four.
Mix into this bowl the cut peel, fruit and almonds if used. (I usually have the mixed dried fruit and sometimes use a few ounces less han 3x8 but it is still OK)
Beat the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture one at a time, adding from the flour bowl if it starts curdling.Stir in all the flour and fruit.
Finally add the tabs black treacle and the alcohol.
Put in tin making slight hollow in centre
and put brown paper round outside of tin.
Cook shelf below halfway .
Gas regulo 2 / Electr 250 for three and a half to four and a half hours.Stand tin on baking tray and cook. Check after a couple of hours and if a crust on top cover with foil and turn oven down slightly.
Test with cake skewer. Should come out clean when cooked. Leave to cool in tin for a few minutes.
I hope this is of use. It is a recipe from my City and Guilds Part 1 course in 1960! But I still make my own and two other people's cakes from it.
It is prety good natured and you can tweak it a bit if you want and it's still nice, as long as you kep the mixture fairly stiff.
Happy Christmas in advance!

[JMR27]

I've used this recipe for years -
http://www.be-ro.com/f_insp.htm
always turns out great

[JMR27]

oops.... that didn't work....click on 'cakes' and then on 'Rich Dundee Cake'.
p.s. and forget the almonds :o)

[society]

Thanks mxyzptlk, flicrat and JMR27 for sharing.

You guys and gals let me see your recipe!! :-)

[ttfn]

No problem society - hope you give it a go. It is the only rich fruit cake I would ever make now.
12 ozs SR Flour
1 Teaspoonful Mixed Spice
4 ozs Ground Almonds

8 ozs each of Currants, Saltanas, Raisins (stoned)
4 ozs each of Cherries (halved), Mixed Candied Peel

8 ozs Butter (soft)
8 0zs Caster Sugar

4 Eggs (large) beaten with:
8 Tablespoons of Milk and 1Tablespoon Gravy Browning

[ttfn]

1. Clean and mix the fruit (Dust the cherries in some of the flour and shake off excess – this helps even distribution)
2. Mix flour, spice and ground almonds
3. Beat butter and sugar to a cream
4. Beat eggs, milk and gravy browning together
5. Stir in (alternately, a little at a time) the flour mixture and the egg mixture to the flour mixture
6. Add the fruit last
7. Mix thoroughly
8. Place mixture into an 8” round cake tin which has been double lined with greased paper
9. Place thick brown paper around the outside of the baking tin to come well above level of cake, tie securely with string.

Bake for 4 hours. The first hour in a moderate oven Reg 3 – 4 and then in a slow oven Reg 1 – 2 for 3 hours. Leave in a draught-free place to cool completely before removing from tin.

The addition of the gravy browning will produce a very dark cake which I enjoy.

[society]

Thanks Ttfn. xx

[ttfn]

You are most welcome society xx I really do hope you try it. I have never had the need to feed the cake with brandy after it was made. (Some chance of sharing my brandy with a flipping cake!) Cuts beautifully too without crumbing all over the place. The brown paper collar round the tin is a really good idea - saves the top of the cake from over cooking and cracking. Should have added to put it on a low shelf and test very carefully with a cake skewer at varying points and angles - but once it comes out clean - there you have it.

[society]

I always soak my fruits in rum and brandy months before, and after the cake is baked I feed it every day with brandy. This is the only kind of cake I like and enjoy. I never use eggs in the recipe though. I will post my own tomorrow, perhaps. I have to work out the measurements should someone want to try it. I never use measurements when baking.

[ttfn]

Just know the number of glasses of brandy you add eh? ;o)