Tea Corner

Bake your own Christmas Cake

As Christmas approaches and the cash registers in the shops go into overdrive, now is the time to think about making your own Chritmas Cake. With a little care and attention you can achieve a great cake and this will taste all the better knowing you made it your self.

You Will need the following ingredients, plus obviously you will need a decent sized cake tin.You will also need some clingfilm.

250g sultanas
100g currants
400g raisins
75g mixed peel
165g glacé cherries
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
80ml sherry
175g butter
175 g dark brown sugar
25g black treacle
3 medium eggs
220g plain white flour
4g mixed spice
2g ground cinnamon
40g ground almonds
25g glycerine

The night before you bake, you will need to put the dried fruits into a large bowl with the lemon and orange zest. Now our over the lemon juice and sherry and miix the fruit thoroughly to combine. Cover the bowl with cling film, and leave to stand overnight.

On the day of baking first you should line the base of the cake tin with a disc of baking parchment. Place a “collar” of baking parchment around the inside of a 20cm round cake tin.

Now you should Preheat the oven to 125°C  or gas mark 2. Beat the  butter, sugar and treacle in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat the eggs and add to the butter mixture, a little at a time to avoid the mixture curdling. When all the eggs have been put in, add the flour, spices and ground almonds. Gently mix together until thoroughly combined.

Stir the glycerine into the pre-soaked fruit (this will give you a nice moist cake). Add to the cake mixture and fold through until evenly mixed.

Gently spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and level off the top.

Place into a preheated oven for approximately 2 hours until firm to the touch. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake will come out clean when the cake is cooked.. When it’s cooked leave the cake in the tin for around 10 minutes before removing from the tin. Leave the baking parchment on the cake while it cools.

When the cake has cooled, brush the top and sides of the cake with youur best sherry.

The cake should then be wrapped in a clean sheet of greaseproof paper, then in foil, and placed in an airtight container or cake tin and stored in a cool, dry place. Repeat the act of brushing more sherry a couple more times over the next few weeks. The last sherry brush should be at least one week before you do the cake decoration..

Now, to decorate you need the following ingredients

200g/7oz marzipan

1-2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed

royal icing

3 free-range egg whites

600g/1lb 5oz icing sugar, sieved

1½ tsp liquid glycerine – optional

1 tbsp lemon juice

Roll out half the marzipan to fit the top of the cake and roll out the rest in strips that are long enough to fit around the sides of the cake.

next you brush the cake all over with the warmed apricot jam and then carefully place the marzipan on top and around the cake.

Cover the cake with a clean tea towel and then leave in a cool place for at least one day.

To make the icing, lightly whisk the egg whites adding the sugar at intervals. Beat well until the icing reaches soft peaks. Add the glycerine if using and then the lemon juice.

Spread icing all over cake either flat iced using a clean ruler or by forming soft peaks. Decorate with Christmas ornaments if you feel the need.

Put your cake away in an airtight container, and on the big day enjoy your lovely Cake !

About the Author

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