Christmas cake
Get into the festive spirit by baking this fabulously punchy Christmas treat with dried fruit and a depth of brandy flavour
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
30
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
240
MINUTES
Ingredients
270g golden raisins
270g sultanas
360g currants
225g mixed peel
120g dried cranberries
250ml brandy
225g soft butter
230g brown sugar
1 tin of strawberries drained and mashed
5 medium eggs, lightly beaten
275g plain flour
2 tsp mixed cake spice
3 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g glacé cherries, washed and patted dry and roughly chopped
zest of 3 oranges
1 medium cooking apple, cored, peeled and grated
120g whole almonds, roughly chopped
½ glass of sherry
Method
Put all fruit except cherries into a bowl add the brandy and leave to soak overnight.
Beat butter, brown sugar, then add the strawberries, gently beat in the eggs. Add a little flour if curdling. Fold in flour with the spices. Fold in soaked fruit, cherries, zest, grated apple and almonds. Stir in the sherry.
Line 8in tin scoop in the mixture. Flatten it out with the back of a wet spoon.
Place the cake on a tray of salt, place the tray into the oven and bake for three hours at 100°C and then for a further one hour at 140°C.
Allow to cool in the tin.
