Post by wulfcwen on Nov 19, 2006 9:46:31 GMT
Christmas without a cake! No way a cake is something special and there was no way I was going without one this year.
Here is the recipe I used there is still time to make it and if you feed the cake with alcohol it will help keep it moist as well. There is just about enough time left to make this you can add whole apple to store with the cooked cake to help it mature, leave it with the cake for about two weeks. It will have to be in an air tight container minus the greaseproof paper and foil of course.
Christmas Cake
5oz butter
5oz brown sugar ( I used dark)
1 Lemon rind grated
3 Eggs
2 tsp Brandy or Whisky or Sherry its up to you don't like alcohol add fruit juice instead.
6 oz gluten free flour my mix was 2oz Spelt, 2oz Maize, 2oz Soya you can use a mix that suits you. See note on flours below
1 tsp mixed spice
16oz mixed dried fruit
4oz glace cherries
4oz chopped dates
4oz flaked almonds. See note on fruits and nuts below
Cream the butter, sugar and spice together.
Beat in the eggs brandy and flour.
Add the fruits and almonds.
At this stage if it looks too dry add a little milk it all depends on the flour mix you have chosen.
Place in a lined 8inch cake tin and bake at:
150C / Gas2/ 300F
for 2 hours.
I place some grease proof paper on top of the cake as it cooks to stop it from going too brown or burning.
Note on fruits and nuts:Ok you don't like almonds or cannot eat nuts no problem just add a different fruit as long as you have the same weight it will be fine. There is plenty to choose from and all you will do is add flavour so take out a fruit you don't like and add one you do like its the weight that is important.
Note on flour mix:
Use the flours you know you can eat I have used Gluten free bread mix flour as it contains Xantham Gum which allows the flour to be more elastic. If I use this I use potato flour, soya flour or maize flour with it as the bread flour contains rice flour. Rice flour is very fine and needs to be bulked up when making cakes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning it out of the cake tin. Once cold wrap in grease proof paper and then in foil and place in an airtight tin or container. Feed with sherry by using a skewer to make holes and drizzle some sherry into the cake,if you prefer leave the alcohol out.
When the time is right about a week before Christmas decorate the cake.
You will need:
3oz sieved apricot jam
8oz marzipan
nuts to cover the cake top or
ready rolled icing and cake decorations.
Cover the cake in the jam it helps to make the marzipan stick to the cake. Roll out the marzipan and place on top of the cake. If you want to add it to the sides as well it depends on how you are going to decorate the cake.
Allow the marzipan to dry out for about 3 days before you add the icing if you are using it.
Otherwise use various nuts to cover the cake and use some sugar glaze to seal the nuts in place. Sugar Glaze is simply sugar and water brought to the boil and reduced a bit to make it slightly sticky not like toffee though.
Here is the recipe I used there is still time to make it and if you feed the cake with alcohol it will help keep it moist as well. There is just about enough time left to make this you can add whole apple to store with the cooked cake to help it mature, leave it with the cake for about two weeks. It will have to be in an air tight container minus the greaseproof paper and foil of course.
Christmas Cake
5oz butter
5oz brown sugar ( I used dark)
1 Lemon rind grated
3 Eggs
2 tsp Brandy or Whisky or Sherry its up to you don't like alcohol add fruit juice instead.
6 oz gluten free flour my mix was 2oz Spelt, 2oz Maize, 2oz Soya you can use a mix that suits you. See note on flours below
1 tsp mixed spice
16oz mixed dried fruit
4oz glace cherries
4oz chopped dates
4oz flaked almonds. See note on fruits and nuts below
Cream the butter, sugar and spice together.
Beat in the eggs brandy and flour.
Add the fruits and almonds.
At this stage if it looks too dry add a little milk it all depends on the flour mix you have chosen.
Place in a lined 8inch cake tin and bake at:
150C / Gas2/ 300F
for 2 hours.
I place some grease proof paper on top of the cake as it cooks to stop it from going too brown or burning.
Note on fruits and nuts:Ok you don't like almonds or cannot eat nuts no problem just add a different fruit as long as you have the same weight it will be fine. There is plenty to choose from and all you will do is add flavour so take out a fruit you don't like and add one you do like its the weight that is important.
Note on flour mix:
Use the flours you know you can eat I have used Gluten free bread mix flour as it contains Xantham Gum which allows the flour to be more elastic. If I use this I use potato flour, soya flour or maize flour with it as the bread flour contains rice flour. Rice flour is very fine and needs to be bulked up when making cakes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning it out of the cake tin. Once cold wrap in grease proof paper and then in foil and place in an airtight tin or container. Feed with sherry by using a skewer to make holes and drizzle some sherry into the cake,if you prefer leave the alcohol out.
When the time is right about a week before Christmas decorate the cake.
You will need:
3oz sieved apricot jam
8oz marzipan
nuts to cover the cake top or
ready rolled icing and cake decorations.
Cover the cake in the jam it helps to make the marzipan stick to the cake. Roll out the marzipan and place on top of the cake. If you want to add it to the sides as well it depends on how you are going to decorate the cake.
Allow the marzipan to dry out for about 3 days before you add the icing if you are using it.
Otherwise use various nuts to cover the cake and use some sugar glaze to seal the nuts in place. Sugar Glaze is simply sugar and water brought to the boil and reduced a bit to make it slightly sticky not like toffee though.
