It's the 1st of December and and Christmas is dawning upon us quicker than we like to believe! It's also the beginning of Blogmas! I'm super excited to be apart of it - i'm certainly challenging myself this year. Let's start it off with something that will help you prepare for Christmas day.
I know you probably have a million and one things to do, but perhaps one of those things is to finally let this be the year you make your own Christmas cake?
If it's not, then maybe you can add it on to your list -to do? I recommend it, as this cake is worth it. It's buttery and laced with rum - like a hot, warm drink in cake form!
You still have time to make this and feed it for a week and ice it before Christmas - and fear not - there will be a post going up later this week about how to ice your Christmas cake.
Let this be the year you start a new tradition!
Bits and bobs needed:
20cm round, deep cake tin
Baking parchment
Warning - this recipe contains overnight prep.
Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
225g plain flour
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinammon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 small orange, zested
85g chopped walnuts
Fruit soaking ingredients
150ml cloudy apple juice
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
5 tbsp dark rum
800g mixed dried fruit with peel
175g dried cranberries
Feeding the cake
2 tbsp dark rum
1 tbsp maple syrup
Method
Overnight soaking prep
1. Pour the juice into a saucepan and simmer. Add the butter and let it melt. Take off heat and add rum and syrup.
2. Put the mixed fruit and cranberries into a large bowl and pour over the rum. Cover tightly with cling film and leave overnight to soak.
The Cake
1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees/140 fan/gas mark 3. Grease and double line a 20cm round cake tin with baking parchment.
How to double line a tin:
1. Grease all around.
2. Draw around the bottom of your tin on the paper and cut out. Stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Cut a long strip of baking parchment and stick around the sides - it doesn't matter if it's too high.
4. Grease on top of this layer of paper.
5. Do the same again, on top of this layer. Trim down any paper sticking up the sides.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the beaten eggs. If the mix splits, add a tsp of flour and mix in.
3. Sift in the flour and spices and fold in. Add the orange zest, chopped nuts, soaked fruit and any liquid from the soaking. Fold in.
4. Add the batter to the tin and level off. Make a dimple in the middle of the cake, using your finger. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then reduce your oven to 140/120/ gas 1 for 1 hour and 45 minutes. If it starts to brown quickly, add some foil on top to stop further browning. Keep checking with a skewer - if it comes out clean, it's ready. Cool on a wire rack. When warm, do the first feed...
5. Feeding the cake: poke the cake with a cocktail stick. Mix the rum and syrup, and pour slowly over the warm cake. Leave to cool and then store in a tin.
6. Continuous feeding: The week after, remove the parchment and wrap in some clean parchment. Feed again. Continue doing this every week (no need to change the parchment again though).
Thank you for reading! This year I have taken on the challenge to do Blogmas, where I will be blogging everyday up until Christmas day.
Follow me on Twitter @fessjarmer to keep up to date with my posts.
Keep an eye out for my next post on something that isn't all what it seems... all is revealed tomorrow.
Please share this if you have enjoyed it! It would be much appreciated.
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