I’ve been using this recipe for the last couple of years and it has been so popular that I half-considered making two this year so that we can get some rather than just dishing it out to all the family … even those who normally turn there nose up a fruit cakes wolf it down!!
If you’re going to make it you need to start NOW! (or pretty soon anyway).
What you’re going to need:
22cm round cake tin
finely grated rind of 1 orange
2 tbsp orange juice, plus a splash
500g seedless raisans
250g sultanas
250g currants
60g dates, stoned and chopped
175g glace cherries
1/2 bottle of good quality dark rum (at least)
250g brown/molasses sugar
250g butter
4 eggs beaten
250g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
60g ground hazelnuts
30g chopped hazelnuts
a block of marzipan
your preferred royal icingA big old tin to ‘grow’ your cake in … well, at the very least you’ll need to feed it!?
Christmas cake is easy. It just takes a really long time … the first bit just takes minutes though, in fact I got the lad to do it!
What you’re going to do:
- Put the orange rind and juice, raisans, sultanas, currants, dates, glace cherries and 150 ml rum into a large bowl.
- Stir well.
- Sniff.
- Add another splash of rum.
- Stir well.
- Sniff.
- Nod with satisfaction.
- Cover with something (a plate of a dish cloth or some such) and stick in the fridge until tomorrow.
- …
This recipe really is a doddle, an untrained chimp could manage it!
Oh! did I mention that I wasn’t going to give you the whole thing in a oner? No? Oh well you’re going to need to come back for the next part … you know you want to!
related links:
the world’s best christmas cake! – part 2
the world’s best christmas cake! – part 3
the world’s best christmas cake! – part 4
the world’s best christmas cake! – part 5
O.K. You talked me into it. I am a terrible baker, but going to try your receipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I even hate Christmas Cake, but this sounds tastey! I’ll let you know what the results are… after it goes through the taste test.
BBFN, Catherine
By: Catherine on 7 November, 2008
at 10:49 pm
Hi Catherine,
Like you, I also hate Christmas cake. The cakes from my youth were always dry and bitter, this one though is sweet and moist with a fantastic aroma and suffusion of flavours.
The secret really comes from ‘feeding’ the cake little by little between now and the days leading up to christmas (when you finally get to decorate the thing).
I really hope you like it, and I would love to hear how you get on :)
By: Alasdair on 8 November, 2008
at 12:35 am