Christmas Cake!

 

Pausing our Top Ten Popular Foods in Russia, we have to consider the fact that today is Christmas!! And for that we will take this short interruption to drop a recipe that suits the holidays, but don't worry, we'll be right on track for the rest of Russia!!

One of the sweetest foods around, cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, and which share features with desserts such as pastries, meringues, custards, and pies.

For this special season though, we are going to learn how to make Christmas Cake!!

This version of Christmas Cake is a moist, delicious brown colored cake with bits of fruit that would give even the Grinch some joy in his life! This festive dessert is perfect for serving up at large family gatherings! It has a delicious taste and is sure to give off festive vibes during the holidays!

This particular recipe is made for only one person to consume, so if your making more for the family, level the ingredients adequately to the size proportions that would be suitable for your family!

Ingredients!

MIXED FRUIT SOAKED OVERNIGHT

225g of currants

225g of sultanas

225g of raisins

100g of glacé cherries, halved

100g of candied peel, cut

100ml of brandy

CAKE

350g of self-raising flour, white, sifted

2 tsp mixed spices

100g of ground almond

4 free-range eggs, large

75ml of brandy, mixed with 75ml whole milk

225g of unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

225g of light brown sugar

How to make Christmas Cake!

Instructions!!

1) Place the dried mixed fruit, peel and cherries in a bowl and add the brandy. Mix to coat all the fruit with the brandy, cover with a tea towel and leave to soak overnight.

2) To prepare the tin for baking, place the tin on a sheet of baking paper and draw around it; cut the circle (or square) out – this will be the paper liner for the bottom of the cake. Measure the circumference of the cake tin, and cut out a long strip (or 2 strips) of paper – making sure the strips will sit well above the cake tin to protect the cake as it is baking.

3) Turn over the bottom 5cm of the paper, and make even cuts all along the paper (see photo) this will make the strips sit in the cake tin easily and form a circle.

4) Grease the tin with softened butter and place the side strips around the cake tin – then place the circle on top of the cut strips to make a secure paper liner.

5) The next day when you are ready to make and bake the cake, preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.

6) Sieve the flour, mixed spice and ground almonds together and beat the eggs with the brandy and milk mixture.

7) Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and add the flour and egg mixture alternately, a little at a time, gently folding them in with a wooden spoon.

8) Add the brandied fruit and mix well before spooning the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Smooth the top with the back of a metal spoon and bake in the oven for 3 ½–4 hours.

9) Allow to cool in the cake tin before lifting out and placing in a cake tin with a fitted lid. Make several holes with a skewer all over the cake and ‘feed’ the cake with brandy – pouring it down into the holes. Repeat this every week until just before you want to marzipan and ice the cake.

And there it is! Your Christmas Cake is ready to be eaten! Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year! ❄️🥳

Ingredients and Instructions sourced from www.greatbritishchefs.com 

 

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/christmas-cake-recipe/print

Image retrieved from https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/christmas-cake-recipe