Christmas cake is to a British Christmas what turrón is to a Spanish one. There isn’t a home where it’s not present; when it comes to these things, the English are as traditional as can be. It’s quite a hefty cake, made with dried fruits and nuts galore, usually soaked in liqueur. And I say "usually" because some prefer to taste the fruit without it being masked by alcohol. I love the hint of alcohol in this cake, specifically brandy. I'm a little lush, what can I say.
To keep the cake nice and moist without over-soaking it in alcohol, it’s important to make it a couple of months in advance. That way, each week, you add a small amount of alcohol and the cake absorbs it better. No one should think that in that time the cake could spoil. Nothing could be further from the truth. The amount of sugar and alcohol is high and it keeps perfectly for several weeks. Those who neither soak it in alcohol nor decorate it usually make it two or three days in advance and on Christmas Day it’s ready to be devoured.
Caractère Revol porcelain plates
Ingredients (for 24-26 people)
- 500 g assorted dried fruits, to taste (dates, raisins, prunes, dried apricots, etc)
- Zest of half a lemon
- Zest of half an orange
- 75 ml brandy (whisky, rum or another liqueur)
- 125 g butter
- 100 g brown sugar
- 80 g wheat flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 50 g sliced almonds
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 ml brandy or another liqueur to soak the cake
- 200 g marzipan
- 500 g icing sugar
- 70 g water
Preparation
- In a Shallow Casserole we add the mixed dried fruits, the lemon and orange zest, the brandy, the butter, and the brown sugar. Cook over low heat for five minutes. Transfer to a large, deep container and allow to cool for half an hour.
- Add the flour, the ground and sliced almonds, the baking powder, the ground spices, the eggs, and the vanilla extract. Stir, without beating, with a spatula until a homogeneous batter is obtained.
- Butter the base and sides of the Pushpan tin 18 cm in diameter and 8 cm tall. Line with baking paper letting the paper extend above the sides of the tin. Pour the batter inside and level the surface with the back of a spoon moistened with water.
- Place the tin in the oven, preheated to 130º C, and bake for two hours. Remove from the oven, prick the cake with a skewer, and pour a couple of tablespoons of brandy or the chosen liqueur over it. Put the cake back in the oven and let it cool completely inside.
- Once cold, remove from the tin and store the cake in an airtight container in a cool place. Each week open it and drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of liqueur until a week before decorating to allow the surface to dry for a few days.
For the decoration:
- Knead the marzipan lightly on a surface dusted with icing sugar. This makes it more pliable and easier to roll out.
- Rub a rolling pin with icing sugar and work the marzipan until you have a disc approximately 1/2 cm thick. Place it on the cake and trim the excess; we only want marzipan on the surface.
- Let the marzipan dry for a couple of days before continuing with the decoration.
- After the drying time, prepare the icing by mixing, in a deep bowl, the icing sugar (sifted beforehand) with the water. Initially stir with a silicone spatula and then beat with electric beaters for five minutes.
- Cover the sides of the cake with the sugar icing and the surface as well. It's best to do this immediately after beating so it's easier to spread, as the mixture hardens quickly.
- Dust the Christmas cake with sugar pearls or decorate with Christmas figures; you can make them with fondant.
- Let it dry for 24 hours so the sugar sets well before serving.
Tall non-stick springform PushPan, Caractère Revol porcelain plates and Le Creuset wooden rolling pin
