Only 66 days to go...!!

Sorry about that, folks. But I'm feeling a little Christmassy as I've just made my Christmas cakes for this year. Once they're out of the oven and cooled, I will wrap them in foil, and put them somewhere cool. Then every week or fortnight I will "feed" them with a bit of alcohol poured down little skewer holes. I remember that Dad (who was a GP) would provide a needle and syringe for the job...

I am talking in the plural as my friend has requested a small Christmas cake as her family present. For the last couple of years I've made Christmas cookies, but this year I asked her if she'd like a cake, and she said Yes. As there was some mixture left over, I'm also making two little tiny cakes for two of our French friends as well.

As always I'm using my MiL's recipe, which she got from the Christmas edition of Family Circle 1966

 I wonder if it was from this edition...Or maybe this one

Whichever it was, I have always had great success with this recipe. I've reproduced it once before, but here it is again:

PAT’S CHRISTMAS CAKE

8” round/ 7” square		7” round/ 6” square
450g	currants	400g
225g	Sultanas	200g
225g	Raisins	200g
50g	Shelled almonds	40g
50g	Citrus peel (optional)	40g
110g	Glace cherries	75g
225g	Plain flour	200g
1 tsp	Mixed spice	¾ tsp
225g	Butter	200g
225g	Moist brown sugar	200g
1	Lemon – rind & juice	½
4 standard	eggs	3 large
	Sherry/rum/brandy (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C.
2. Line sides & bottom of tin with baking parchment
3. Prepare dried fruit & nuts.
4. Beat eggs.
5. Cream butter & sugar together until light and fluffy
6. Add fruit, peel and nuts. Mix thoroughly.
7. Stir in flour, mixed spice and lemon juice.
8. Mix well and put in tin, pressing mixture into the sides. Smooth top with spoon.
9. Place cake on a double sheet of parchment/brown paper on a baking sheet.
10.  Bake as directed:

1st hour	160C
2nd hour	150C
3rd hour	145C
4th hour	140C

11. When cooked, remove from oven and leave to cool in tin.
12. When cooled remove from tin, peel off paper.
13. To increase moistness and keeping time, prick cake on top with skewer and spoon a little alcohol into it. Invert and do the same with the base.

I have to admit that I mix up the fruit a bit - I don't like candied peel or glacé cherries, so I threw in more nuts and other berries - cranberries and goji berries (I think) were included in the mix I bought. As long as you end up with the same weight of fruit/nuts I don't think it matters. I soaked them in the cherry gin that Yves gave us a month or so ago, because it smelled so Christmassy! I'll probably continue to use that to "feed" the cakes.

My icing skills aren't up to much. I wonder how they'll turn out!!

Not like this, I fear!!!

HELLO & WELCOME! to my newest follower, Marigold Jam. Pleased to have you along!