christmas cake
The Christmas cake is to British Christmas like nougat to the Spanish. There is no house in which it is not present, for these things the English are very traditional. It is a rather forceful cake, made with dried fruits and nuts in abundance, which is usually soaked in liquor. And I say "usually" because there are those who prefer to savor fruits without being masked by alcohol. I love the touch of alcohol in this cake, specifically the cognac one. I'm a drunk, what can I do?
In order for the cake to turn out juicy, without getting drunk, it is important to prepare it a couple of months in advance. Thus, each week, a small amount of alcohol is added and the cake absorbs it better. Let no one think that in that time the cake can be spoiled. Nothing is further from reality. The amount of sugar and alcohol is high and it lasts in perfect condition for several weeks. Those who do not soak it in alcohol or decorate it usually prepare it two or three days in advance and on Christmas Day it is ready to be devoured.
Porcelain plates Caractère Revol
Ingredients (for 24-26 people)
- 500 g of assorted dried fruits, to taste (dates, raisins, prunes, dried apricots, etc.)
- Zest of half a lemon
- Zest of half an orange
- 75ml cognac (whisky, rum or other liquor)
- 125g butter
- 100 g of brown sugar
- 80 g of wheat flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon chemical yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 50 g of laminated almonds
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
- 100 ml of cognac or other liquor with which to intoxicate the cake
- 200 g of marzipan
- 500 g icing sugar
- 70g of water
Preparation
- In a saucepan we introduce the mixture of dried fruits, the lemon and orange zest, the brandy, the butter and the brown sugar. Cook over low heat for five minutes. We transfer to a wide and deep container and let it warm for half an hour.
- Add the flour, the ground and laminated almonds, the chemical yeast, the ground spices, the eggs and the essence of vanilla. Stir, without beating, with a spatula until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- Grease the base and walls of the 18 cm diameter and 8 cm high Pushpan mold with butter. Line with baking paper , leaving the paper to protrude from the walls above the mold. Pour the dough inside and level the surface with the back of a spoon dipped in water.
- We put the mold in the oven, preheated to 130º C, and cook for two hours. Remove from the oven, prick the cake with a skewer and pour a couple of tablespoons of brandy or the chosen liquor over it. We put the cake back in the oven and let it cool completely inside.
- Once cold, unmold and store the cake in an airtight container in a cool place. Every week we open it and water with a couple of tablespoons of liquor until a week before decorating to allow the surface to dry for a few days.
For decoration:
- Lightly knead the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar. With this we make it more malleable and it costs less to extend it.
- Rub a rolling pin with icing sugar and work the marzipan into a disk approximately 1/2 cm thick. We place it on the cake and trim the excess, we just want there to be marzipan on the surface.
- We let the marzipan dry for a couple of days before continuing with the decoration.
- Once the drying time has elapsed, we prepare the coverage by mixing, in a deep container , the icing sugar (previously sifted) with the water. We initially stir with a silicone spatula and then beat with an electric whisk for five minutes.
- We cover the walls of the cake with the sugar coating and also the surface. It should be done immediately after beating it so that it is easier to spread, since the mixture hardens quickly.
- We sprinkle the Christmas cake with sugar nuggets or decorate with Christmas figurines, we can make them with fondant.
- We let it dry for 24 hours so that the sugar dries well before consuming.
Removable nonstick PushPan tall tin, Caractère Revol porcelain plates and Le Creuset wooden rolling pin
