Recipe of the month

Christmas Cake

This is a rich, dark, moist fruit cake, best made a few weeks before Christmas so as to let it mellow and develop its full flavour.

Ingredients

2 (8 oz) containers of candied cherries.
1 (8 oz) container of candied mixed peel.
2 cups raisins
1 cup dried currents
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
2 oz almonds + more for topping if liked
½ cup brandy
2 cups plain flour + ½ cup to add to fruit
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup of butter
2 cups brown sugar
6 eggs
¾ cup molasses or golden syrup
¾ cup apple juice

Method.

(1) In a medium bowl, combine cherries, mixed peel, raisins, currents, dates, and almonds. Stir in brandy and leave to stand for 2 hours, or overnight. Dredge soaked fruit with the ½ cup of flour.

(2) Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C) Grease an 8-inch cake tin, line with grease-proof paper, which should in turn be greased. Mix together flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and salt, and set aside.

(3) In a larger bowl, cream butter until light. Blend in brown sugar and eggs. Mix together molasses and apple juice. Beat into butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, then fold in floured fruit. Turn into prepared cake tin. If you do not intend to ice the cake, arrange split and blanched almonds to cover its top.

(4) Bake in preheated oven for 3-3½ hours or until a toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Remove from tin, lift off paper. Let the cake cool completely, then wrap it loosely in waxed paper. or foil and store it in an air tight container.

Ice and decorate to your own taste, or eat as it is.