Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Sharing The Christmas Cake Love...

Hi folks...things are looking up...the new washer has arrived and has been working it's magic on the pile of dirty laundry and woohoo the Fiskars project is in the bag...
the Christmas Day soup is done and dusted and heading for the freezer...
I've been busy ticking things off the "lots to do before Christmas" list whilst on the other hand my furry companion has been taking his sleeping partner role a little too seriously...some folks have all the luck...
and in reply to lots of e-mail requests I'm sharing the Christmas Cake Recipe...

12oz Self Raising Flour
1 Level Tsp. Mixed Spice
1/2 Level Tsp Nutme
6oz Caster Sugar
17oz Sultanas (or mixed fruit)
2oz Glace Cherries
4oz Mixed Peel
2 Large or 3 Medium Eggs
6oz Margarine
9 Tablespoons of Milk
1 Tsp Almond Essence
Sieve flour, nutmeg and mixed spice into a bowl.  Add all the remaining ingredients to the flour and beat until the mixture is well combined and has a soft dropping consistency. You may need to add a little more milk at this stage. Line a cake tin with non stick baking parchment, spoon in the mixture and bake at 170 or 150 Fan for 1.1/2 to 2 hours.
I'm no Mary Berry and I'm not trying to teach my Grandma to suck eggs but here are a few little tips I've learned over the years...
1. wash the cherries and dry with a soft cloth before adding to the mix (prevents them sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes).
2. Wrap thick brown paper around the outside of the cake tin and tie in place with string...this prevents the outside edge of the cake from over-baking.
3. After one hour cover the top of the cake with baking parchment to stop it going too brown.
4. The cooking time really depends on your oven...so check the cake after 1.1/2 hours and at 5 minute intervals thereafter until the skewer comes out clean and woohoo your cake is ready.
I'll be back tomorrow to finally share the Grungeboard Waste Project
Hugs Kath xxx