Baking
57 recipes
Yolanda Derham would cook up a storm at Christmas time, and all the close friends would receive one of these beautiful cakes, the size depending on the family numbers. The Davies were lucky to always receive one, and we would nibble away after another turkey sandwich, or have it accompanied by afternoon tea with guests who had just dropped in - I now appreciate how generous this gift really is.
The specialty here is all the glacé fruit, it makes for a super moist Christmas cake and a generous Christmas present. Preparation takes a little time, but the amounts below are enough to make three small - medium sized cakes.
"You can halve the quantities of everything and make a smaller cake or make two small ones with the larger recipe. Cooking time of course will be halved. Slow oven and check from time to time"- Yolanda Derham.
Serves 8 – 20, depending on cake tin size. V.
P
Pictured: Christmas cake
Fruit - about 2 kg of fruit in total -
Ingredients
- 500g sultanas
- 250g raisins chopped
- 250g dates chopped
- 125g currants
- 125g glacé or dried figs chopped
- 125g glacé pineapple chopped
- 125g glacé apricots or peaches chopped
- 125g glacé ginger chopped
- 250g glacé cherries chopped
- 125g mixed peel
- 2 tsp rosewater
- 2 tsp orange flower water
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup brandy
- Cake -
- 250g butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cup plain flour
- 1/3 cup self raising flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- Extra ½ cup brandy
- Icing –
- Almond/Marzipan Icing
- *more fruit is better than less. It is important to use glacé fruit rather than dried, where it is recommended as this will help moisten the cake.
Method
Combine all fruit in a large bowl with the brandy etc, cover and leave for a couple of days, the longer the better, stir now and then.
Pictured: soaking fruit in brandy for the Christmas Cake
Butter and line a deep 19cm square, or deep 23cm round tin with 3 layers of buttered brown paper - to protect it from browning. You can use any size tin as long as it is deep, then slow cook and check regularly.
Preheat the oven 150°C.
Beat butter until soft, add sugar, and beat only til combined.
Add eggs one at a time, beat only til combined.
Add creamed mix to fruit mix, mix well.
Stir in sifted flours and mixed spice.
Pour into prepared tins up to ¾ full, spread evenly, and bake in a slow oven 2 - 3 hours depending on size of tins. The cake will brown on top.
When the cake is cooked, while hot, pour over the extra ½ cup brandy. Cool in the oven.
Cover the cake with 2 layers of foil and store at least 6 weeks before Xmas.
Before icing, prick and pour more brandy to moisten the cake.
Ice with prepared almond paste after glazing with jam so icing to stick. (Brands available in order of quality - Odense is the top brand, Blackwood Lane, Orchard).
Pictured: three brands of almond/Marzipan icing
Tastetip - Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas Pudding on Christmas Day because of the resemblance between pagan celebrations of the winter solstice and the flaming of the pudding!
In medieval times marzipan was so popular it was molded into sculptures to be eaten at the end of feasts, which later became simple 'marchpane' cakes. Eventually these cakes were replaced by those now typical of Christmas and weddings.
Dietary preferences
- Vegetarian
