The Classic Christmas Cake

When my husband and I lived in South Africa one of our favorite holiday desserts was Fruit Cake. Pamella Mitchell-Innes would begin baking months ahead and feed the cake with brandy until Christmas. It was moist and delicious! Several times I found myself having to fight my cravings and cut another piece! This Christmas Tyler and I wanted a bit of South Africa with us here in Oklahoma, so Pam was kind enough to send the recipe and I started baking! It turned out great - now to find people to share it with! Fruit Cake is much too large for two people :)

*Note: All ingredients are UK and might need to be converted.

I realize the post is quite late for anybody to do anything with it! But there is always next year - besides, fruit cake is never out of season. :)

Ingredients

1 lb currants

6 oz sultanas

6 oz raisins

2 oz glace cherries, rinsed, dried and finely chopped

2 oz mixed and candied peel, finely chopped

3 Tbsp brandy

8 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

8 oz unsalted butter

8 oz soft brown sugar

4 eggs

2 oz almonds, chopped

1 tsp black treacle

the grated zest of 1 lemon

the grated zest of one orange

4 oz whole blanched almonds

(only if you don't intend to ice the cake)

Icing

(optional)

1 lbs 2 oz icing sugar, sifted

3 large egg whites

1 tsp glycerine 

Cake Directions:

You need to begin this cake the night before you want to bake it. All you do is weigh out the dried fruit and mixed peel, place it in a mixing bowl and mix in the brandy as evenly and thoroughly as possible. Cover the bowl with a clean tea cloth and leave the fruit aside to absorb the brandy for 12 hours.

Next day pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). Then measure out all the rest of the ingredients, ticking them off to make quite sure they're all there. The treacle will be easier to measure if you remove the lid and place the tin in a small pan of barely simmering water. Now begin the cake by sifting the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl, lifting the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing. Next, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy. Now beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the creamed mixture a tablespoonful at a time; keep the whisk running until all the egg is incorporated. If you add the eggs slowly by degrees like this the mixture won't curdle. If it does, don't worry, any cake full of such beautiful things can't fail to taste good!

When all the egg has been added, fold in the flour and spices, using gentle, folding movements and not beating at all (this is to keep all that precious air in). Now fold in the fruit, peel, chopped nuts and treacle and finally the grated lemon and orange zests. Next, using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon and, if you don't intend to ice the cake, lightly drop the whole blanched almonds in circles or squares all over the surface. Finally cover the top of the cake with a double square of silicone paper with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking).

Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4½-4¾ hours. Sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but in any case don't look till at least 4 hours have passed. Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it – make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it.

Icing Directions:

Place the egg whites in a bowl, then stir in the icing sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the icing falls thickly from the spoon. At this stage, stop adding any more sugar and whisk with an electric whisk for 10 minutes or until the icing stands up in stiff peaks, then stir in the glycerine.

Now spread the icing all over the top and sides of the cake as evenly as possible using a palette knife. Switch to a broad-bladed knife (or smaller palette knife) to 'spike' the icing all over to give a snow-scene effect. Leave the cake overnight for the icing to dry out before placing it in a container till needed.