Christmas Cakes

[SueC]

When do you make your Christmas cakes?

 

My DD has just put ours in the oven, it is a rich cake that keeps for months (My FIL would hide his away and finish it in June!)even without alcohol added, but you can add rum in the mixture. The smell is heavenly, with the mix of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and curry, and lemon, vanilla, raspberry, coconut and almond essence. This one is a family favourite!

[westbrook]

and the recipe is coming? I don't do christmas cakes like fruit cake.. can't stand them! but yours sounds wonderful.

[SueC]

Christmas Cake

(Rich cake keeps for months

I usually make in September)

 

1 lb Sugar

1 lb Currants

1 lb Butter

1 lb Sultanas

10 Large Eggs

1 lb Raisins

2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup

1/4 lb Almonds

1 1/4 lbs Flour

1/4 lb Peel

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 lb Cherries

 

1 Teaspoon each:

Almond Essence

Lemon Essence

Vanilla Essence

Raspberry Essence

Coconut Essence

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Allspice

Curry (Small or 1/2 Teaspoon)

 

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Warm the Golden Syrup a little before adding. Then add flour, baking powder, essences and spices. Lastly add the fruit. Mix well.

Prepare the baking tins with greased paper.

Bake 4 ½ hours 275F or 150C for single 10" square cake. Can split and bake as two (9" and 7" round) cakes. Reduce cooking time.

 

Golden Syrup - I think you can exchange with corn syrup?

Peel - I leave it out and add more almonds and cherries

Or instead of measuring the individual dried fruits, you can use 3 3/4 lb of mixed fruit.

[SueC]

Oh I forgot! You can ice it with an almond or marzipan icing plus a 'plastic' icing if you want to. Specially for those with a sweet tooth! But I dont do that until a week before it is to be eaten. It goes really well as a wedding cake or for any other celebration too.

 

Sue

[Magpie]

Okay... I'm gonna have to confess to Yankee confusion. With an English babysitter (and a mother who fostered a love of all books English) and an Australian best friend when I was young, I thought myself pretty conversant in Aussie and English terms. But....

 

Plastic?

 

Since I'm pretty sure you don't mean the stuff we wrap around the cake to keep it fresh, what kind?

 

The rest of the recipe sound great. Do you use fresh or dried cherries?

[SueC]

Hmm ... plastic icing is a thick fondant that can be molded for decorating, it has glycerine in it so it is not hard as a royal icing but remains pliable

 

The cherries used are a glace cherry - does that work?

[Magpie]