Our Secret Christmas Cake Recipe…

Ingredients

• 12oz/340g Plain Flour
• One teaspoon of Mixed Spice
• 4oz/110g Ground Almonds
• 8oz/225g Currants
• 8oz/225g Sultanas
• 8oz/225  Raisins (stoned)
• 4oz/110g Cherries (halved)
• 4oz/110g Mixed Peel (chopped)
• 8oz/225g butter
• 8oz/225g Caster Sugar
• 4 Eggs, beaten
• 8 Tablespoons of Milk
• As it’s the spirit of Christmas you can add this to the fruit and soak the night before:
• 4 tablespoons of Brandy
• 2 tablespoons of Cointreau

Method

• Mix Flour, Spice and Ground Almonds.
• Clean and mix the Fruits.
• Beat the Butter and Sugar to a cream in a warm bowl.
• Beat the Eggs and Milk together.
• Then stir the flour mixture and the Eggs and Milk (alternatively, add a little at a time) with the Butter and Sugar.
• Add the fruit last and mix thoroughly.
• If a darker cake is desired add a teaspoon of Gravy Browning.
• Use a large round cake tin (8-inch diameter) lined with greaseproof paper.  Bake for about 4 hours in a preheated oven at 120 °c.
• Then leave to cool
• Feed the cake with 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol every fortnight.

A Christmas cake should be rich and spicy; bursting with boozy fruit but never heavy. After all, you need to leave room for a mince pie.