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
  1. When cooked, remove from oven and leave to cool in tin.
  2. When cooled remove from tin, peel off paper.
  3. 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!

Comments

  1. Hello Mouse! Happy holidays! Smile.
    I shall bookmark this. Your Christmas cake ingredients sound edible. My mama is a "fruitcake" eater, but none of the rest of us are. I think the brandy feeding must be the key!

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  2. Thanks for the welcome. What a trip down memory lane those old Family Circle magazines are!! Your cake looks good - I shan't make one this year but I used to do a Good Housekeeping recipe and make two one for me and one for my mother who used to make Christmas puddings and do a swap with me! I do hope your Dad gave you a sterile syringe and needle?!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ooh lovely, we will be making ours this next week, I love the countdown to Christmas tome Christmas is the whole season not just one day, I love the run up to it, right though to the new year

    Sharon x

    ww.onelifeand3kids.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete

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