christmas-cake3Well, my first Christmas cake.  It is done.

I have to say, a bit of an anticlimax really.  It was all too easy.  Boil up fruit, let cool, fold in dry ingredients.  Voilà!  I was imagining some devilishly difficult task ahead of me.  But alas it was not to be – best leave that for the macarons, I suppose! 

I had selected the recipe from my first ever-baking book – The Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes and Slices.  It seemed fitting to bake something so traditional from a book that heavily features classics.

The resulting cake was deliciously moist, and loaded with brandy soaked fruit.  There is a lovely buttery-ness to the crumb as well.  Stored well, it keeps for up to 3 months – apparently!

Prepare your pan by lining base and sides with 2 thicknesses of paper, and bring paper 5cm above edge of pan.  Feel free to vary the fruit selection.  I am not a fan of glace cherries so they were swiftly omitted.  But whatever mixture you choose, I hope you enjoy this lovely cake.

{ Favourite Boiled Fruit Cake }

* Ingredients *
375g (2¼ cups) sultanas
250g (1½ cups) chopped raisins
250g (1½ cups) currants
125g (½ cup) mixed peel
125g (½ cup) halved glace cherries
¼ cup chopped glace pineapple
¼ cup glace apricots
250g butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup brandy
½ cup water
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon treacle
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1¾ cups plain flour
1/3 cup self-raising flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

* Directions *
Combine fruit. butter. sugar, brandy and water in saucepan. Stir constantly over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.  Add eggs, treacle and rinds to fruit mixture, stir until combined. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Spread mixture evenly into a deep 19cm square or a deep 23cm round prepared cake pan. Bake at 150°C for about 2½ hours, but start checking at 1½ hours.

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