NOW is the time to be making the traditional Christmas cake, giving it time to mature and bring out the beautiful flavours.
By Heather Carston Editor
THIS is the Christmas cake I make annually at this time of the year. Once cooled, it is wrapped in baking paper tightly and then wrapped again with cling film in several layers and put aside until December to cure. It can be eaten at any time, but it really is best to let the flavours take time to mature. The soaking overnight or longer, ensures a fail-safe moist cake.
INGREDIENTS 1.5kg mixed fruit 1 pkt red glace cherries 1 pkt green glace cherries 3 C standard flour 1 C sugar 300gms softened butter 6 large eggs 1 C rum 1 tin of crushed pineapple (two if you like) 1 tsp cinnamon Half tsp each of nutmeg, allspice, ginger 1 tsp of vanilla 1 tsp lemon essence
METHOD The day before, put fruit, pineapple (including juice) and glace cherries into a bowl and pour over the rum. Mix well and cover tightly with clingwrap. Leave overnight to soften and rehydrate the fruit, stirring once or twice. Next day, beat sugar and butter until well creamed. While doing that, set oven to 140C if fan forced, 150C if not. In a large cake tin, line with baking paper on base and a doubled sheet around the edge of the tin, raising about six to eight centimetres above the top edge. Sift flour and spices together – I use a whisk rather than a sieve, but either way, they need to be well mixed. When creamed mix is finished, slow mixer right down and add eggs one at a time, alternating with a heaped tablespoon of flour. This prevents curdling. Add in the essences and mix well. Keep adding the flour in a bit at a time until the lot is well combined. Pour mix into the fruit – I use a large stockpot for this for ease of mixing – and mix it well from the bottom up to ensure both mix and fruit are well combined. This will take a few minutes but must be done well. Ladle mix into the prepared tin, being careful not to drop any onto the paper sides. This will come close to the top of the tin, hence the high paper sides. Press the mix firmly so it is even and flat everywhere. Put into the oven on the lowest rack from the base, and cook for an hour-and-a-half at the first temperature before lowering it to 130C and cooking for the next one-and-a-half to two hours, or until a skewer inserted in several places comes out clean. It is imperative the cake cools before you remove it from the tin.
