Christmas Cake

Fabulously fruity Christmas cake. Swap fruits if you wish, just keep the overall proportion of fruit the same! Recipe provided by Linda Plowman.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter

• 225g soft brown sugar

• 4 large eggs

• 1 tbsp golden syrup

• 340g plain flour

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp nutmeg

• ½ tsp mixed spice

• 200g jumbo raisins

• 400g mixed fruit

• 150g cranberries

• 150g sour cherries

• 100g glace cherries

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 4 tbsp sherry, plus a glass for soaking fruit

Method:

• Two days before making the cake, put the dried fruit in a bowl, add 1 glass of sherry and stir. Cover the bowl and leave the fruit to soak, stirring occasionally.

• Cream the butter, sugar, golden syrup and lemon zest together until soft and light.

• Whisk the eggs and sherry lightly and gradually beat into the butter mixture, adding a little flour if it curdles.

• Sift flour and spices together.

• Stir the flour and fruit into the batter but do not overbeat.

• Line a 7-8 inch loose-based cake tin with greaseproof paper and grease with butter.

• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of a preheated oven at GM3/160°C/140°C fan for 75 minutes, then reduce the heat to GM2/150°C /130°C fan for 60 minutes. Check a skewer or knife comes out clean, increase the baking time if necessary.

• Allow to cool, wrap in foil or baking paper and feed with brandy in the run up to Christmas.

• Cover with marzipan and icing as required.

Christmas Cake.pdf

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