Thursday, 29 November 2007

THE recipe

A wave of I don't know what came over me about a week ago and gave me the idea to make a christmas cake. Its started, Nan sent the recipe today and the mixed fruit is soaking up the brandy and glycerine goodness as we speak. The soaking stage has been quite enjoyable so far, I feel relaxed, no trouble seems to be brewing, and I can spend as much time as I like reading other craft blogs and clawing my way through the mountain of amazing things to be seen on flickr.
THE cake can also give you permission to drink the rest of the brandy (ahem, quite a lot) and boast about your domestic prowess to others (regardless of the outcome, making a christmas cake is quite impressive).

½ lb butter
½ lb sugar
6 eggs - separated
¾ lb flour
1 tspn mixed spice

3 lb mixed fruit – I generally add a packet of glace red cherries to that.
8 0z tin crushed pineapple
2tbspns brandy
1 tspn glycerine

1 tspn each of essences, lemon, rum, almond and vanilla.

Soak fruit overnight in pineapple, brandy and glycerine

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks one at a time, add spice and essences then flour, fruit and lastly beaten egg whites.

Preheat oven to 150 then turn to `135 when cake goes in, cook 4 hours or until tested. (Prick with a skewer and if it comes up clean it’s cooked. Cover top with baking paper for the first hour so the top doesn’t get too brown.

When it’s cooked and cooled down I poke it all over with the skewer and then pour LOTS of brandy over I – well about 3-4 tbspns I’d say.

Good luck and sorry about the imperial measures.


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