Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake

The days are approaching when our kitchen will be in full swing, and it is one of those moments when knowing a simple recipe that will help us with a Christmas dessert or breakfast is welcomed with open arms.

Personally, I love making desserts and sweets that require time and dedication, but I am also aware that there comes a time when we can't give more of ourselves. So today I am going to leave you with a fantastic option that requires very little preparation time. Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake or Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake .

As soon as you see it, I know what you're going to think, but how old-fashioned! Well, yes, it is. It is an "old-fashioned dessert", very classic, traditional and full of flavour. There are certain sweets with a very classic appearance that really catch my attention. They take me back to a romantic, magical time and I think that is precisely why I love them so much.

The fact is that as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it. It is a dessert that reminds us a lot of the classic Cake aux Fruits , but its ingredients and finish are a little different from this one. Although it is true that they have some similarity.

This cake is named after its author

Mary Berry , Mary-Rosa Alleyne Berry, food writer and television presenter who has been a judge on The Great British Bake Off for the past 10 years. She has written more than 70 cookbooks and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2012.

This cake is an explosion of flavour and texture , combining sweet, citrus, fresh and delicate flavours. The cake is very juicy and combined with the nuts it is truly a delicacy. Without a doubt, this fruit cake is one of those desserts that surprises and is very pleasant. But the classics never fail, right?

To make it, we only have to cut the fruit into pieces, mix it, prepare the cake batter, mix it with the fruit and bake it. The preparation process will not take more than 15 minutes and while it is baking, which takes a little longer because it is being made with love and care, we can get many things done.

You don't have to make it the same day you're going to eat it. You can make it 1-2 days in advance and store it wrapped in cling film in the fridge. On the day you're going to serve it, take it out of the fridge 3 hours before so it can warm up. Then brush it with jam, decorate and serve.

One important thing I don't want to forget to mention is that a good mould always helps to make a successful cake . To make the cake I used this Push-Pan mould, 20 cm in diameter . It is non-stick, comfortable, very easy to remove and clean. You know that when we have a lot of work, any help is little, and in this case utensils of this type are almost essential.

Laura Ashley porcelain salad bowl , Laura Ashley cotton tablecloth and Microplane Master grater

Ingredients (for a 20 cm mould)

For the cake:

• 250 g of soft pastry flour
• 75 g of ground almonds
• 5 large eggs
• 250 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 250 g of sugar
• 8 g baking powder
• 220 g red cherries in syrup (cherries)
• 225 g of pineapple in its juice without sugar
• 250 g of sultanas
• 50 g of dried apricots
• 50 g raw almonds
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Pinch of salt

To decorate:

• Whole raw almonds
• Red cherries in syrup
• Candied orange
• 2 teaspoons apricot jam

Elaboration

We hydrate the raisins

1. Add the raisins to a heatproof bowl and pour 250 g of boiling water over them.
2. We leave it to soak for 30 minutes.
3. After this time, drain and set aside.

We prepare the dough

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC with heat from above and below .
2. Grease the Push-Pan mold with butter, sprinkle with flour and remove the excess by turning it over. Set aside.
3. We sift the flour together with the ground almonds, baking powder and salt. We set aside.
4. In a large bowl, mix the chopped pineapple with the chopped dried apricots, the cherries cut into quarters, the lightly crushed almonds, the drained raisins and the lemon zest. Mix to distribute the mixture and set aside.
5. In the KitchenAid bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat with the paddle attachment. Gradually increase the speed until reaching level 3. Beat until you obtain a creamy, airy and whitish texture.
6. We begin to add the eggs, one by one, waiting for them to be fully integrated before adding the next one.
7. We begin to add the mixture of dry ingredients. We will do it little by little and mixing at the same time.
8. We should not over beat the mixture , this is very important to obtain a fluffy result, we mix only until the ingredients are integrated.
9. Finally, sprinkle the reserved fruit mixture with flour and add it to the dough, integrating it with the help of a spatula. It is best to do this by hand to ensure that the mixture is evenly distributed and to avoid overmixing.

We bake

1. Pour the mixture into the mold and smooth the surface with a spatula .
2. We decorate the top with almonds, halved cherries and a little candied orange.
3. Place the cake in the oven at medium heat and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes . Halfway through cooking, cover the cake with aluminum foil to prevent it from browning too much.
4. Before removing it from the oven, check that it is well cooked by pricking it with a toothpick; it should come out clean.
5. We take it out and let it rest on a rack for 60 minutes .
6. After this time, remove from the mold and allow to cool completely.

We decorate

1. We warm the apricot jam a little to lighten it.
2. We brush the surface of the cake with it.
3. If any of the cherries have become too submerged in the cake, we can decorate the surface again with quartered cherries.
4. We serve

PushPan Non-Stick Tall Mold

Grades

• If you wish, you can soak the raisins in any liquor you like. In this case, I recommend leaving them for at least 24 hours .
• If you don't like any of the nuts, you can substitute them with the one you like the most.
• The mold comes out wonderfully well , but I still recommend greasing it with butter and sprinkling it with flour to make sure nothing sticks.
• It is preserved in perfect condition inside a glass bell for 7 days.
• The cake can be frozen for 2 months, wrapped tightly in cling film. To defrost it, leave it at room temperature for 12 hours.

This Christmas, don't miss out on trying Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake. It's perfect for any occasion. Whether it's at the end of a lunch or dinner with a little champagne, in the afternoon with a coffee, or for breakfast accompanied by a nice hot chocolate.

And, of course, if you dare to try it, don't forget to share it with us.

Laura Ashley Serving Scoop and Le Creuset Tea Time Teapot